Author(s)

S. Green & J. Webb

Abstract

During the last academic year a module introducing formal specification was presented for the first time at the University of the West of England. The course, based upon Z [1], was delivered over a 12 week period to 150 first year HND and degree students using one lecture, one tutorial and one laboratory session per week. A number of problems were encountered during this first presentation of the module. The main problem was that students found it difficult to create a complete specification from a set of requirements written in English; many did not know either how to get started or how to proceed once they had started. To help the students to develop specifications it is proposed that in future years they should be taught a method of analysing a statement of require- ments that will produce a good starting point

Keywords