A Case Study: Injecting Safety-Critical Thinking into Graduate Software Engineering Projects

Exposure to safety-critical thinking grows in importance as society increasingly depends upon software to control physical devices with potential safety impacts. In this unique graduate capstone experience we engaged graduate Software Engineering students in the specification, design, implementation, validation, and assurance of potentially safety-critical software-intensive products involving physical devices such as Unmanned Autonomous Vehicles, health-sensors, and/or environmental monitors. While each product had at least one safety-critical usage scenario, it also had harmless test-scenarios which enabled students to design and build with safety-in mind, but to test their product in a safe context. Students engaged in safety-related practices such as hazard analysis, safety-design, safety-assurance, and certification processes. We describe the goals and logistics of the course, discuss student outcomes based on an analysis of the deliverables and student feedback, and suggest ideas for replication and improvement.