The National Software Academy (NSA) was founded in 2015 by Cardiff University with the Welsh Government and industry leaders as a centre of excellence in Software Engineering Education. It is part of the School of Computer Science & Informatics based in Newport in an environment specifically designed to promote collaborative working. NSA’s aim is to improve the employability of its students and prepare them for the collaborative nature of software engineering through embedding Project-based Learning (PjBL) throughout our programmes and offering numerous meaningful opportunities (such as talks, workshops, networking events, projects, summer placements) to engage with the wider industry.
The NSA team currently consists of 17 academic staff, three professional services staff and an Industrial Tutor who work closely with our industry contacts to develop and deliver the BSc and MSc programmes in Software Engineering. NSA recently launched Cardiff University’s first degree-level apprenticeship.
Collaboration between the NSA team, students and industry is primarily manifested in its innovative PjBL approach which enables all students to build up client-facing experience throughout their degree. Students build up a portfolio of projects to showcase their skills to potential employers. This requires extensive collaboration with industry partners to provide a sustainable pipeline of opportunities, projects and summer placements. To date, nearly 400 organisations have visited the NSA since its launch and it has run over 80 client-facing projects. Students and industry also contribute to the development of the curriculum, ensuring that the skills developed as part of the degree are those which are demanded by employers.
The team’s collaborative scholarship has enabled it to become more effective reflective practitioners. NSA’s collective reflection on practice, informed by feedback from students and industry partners, leads to scholarly activity that results in changes to its practice and scholarly outputs that contribute to the body of knowledge. NSA has disseminated its work at a range of University, national and international conferences.
NSA’s work has been recognised by several awards: "Collaboration of the Year”, ESTNet Awards 2016; “Industry Trailblazer”, Welsh Technology Awards 2017; “Excellence in Teaching”, Cardiff University Awards 2017; “Best Academic Programme” Fintech Awards Wales 2019.
Cymraeg
Cafodd yr Academi Meddalwedd Genedlaethol ei sefydlu ym mis Hydref 2015 gan Brifysgol Caerdydd, Llywodraeth Cymru ac arweinwyr y diwydiant yn ganolfan ragoriaeth ym maes Addysgu Peirianneg Meddalwedd. Mae'n rhan o'r Ysgol Cyfrifiadureg a Gwybodeg ac mae ei chanolfan yng Nghasnewydd mewn amgylchedd sydd wedi'i ddylunio'n benodol i hybu cydweithredu. Nod yr Academi yw gwella cyflogadwyedd ei myfyrwyr a'u paratoi at natur gydweithredol peirianneg meddalwedd drwy gynnwys Dysgu'n Seiliedig ar Brosiectau drwy gydol ein rhaglenni a chynnig nifer o gyfleoedd ystyrlon (fel anerchiadau, gweithdai, digwyddiadau rhwydweithio, prosiectau, lleoliadau dros yr haf) i ymgysylltu â'r diwydiant ehangach.
Ar hyn o bryd mae tîm yr Academi yn cynnwys 17 aelod o staff academaidd a thri aelod o staff gwasanaethau proffesiynol a Thiwtor Diwydiannol sy'n gweithio'n agos gyda'n cysylltiadau yn y diwydiant i ddatblygu a chyflwyno'r rhaglenni BSc a MSc mewn Peirianneg Meddalwedd. Yn ddiweddar lansiodd yr Academi brentisiaeth gyntaf ar lefel gradd Prifysgol Caerdydd.
Gwelir y cydweithredu rhwng tîm yr Academi, diwydiant a byd diwydiant yn bennaf drwy'r dull Dysgu'n Seiliedig ar Brosiectau sy'n galluogi pob myfyriwr i gael profiad yn wynebu cleientiaid drwy gydol y radd. Mae myfyrwyr yn adeiladu portffolio o brosiectau i ddangos eu sgiliau i ddarpar gyflogwyr. I wneud hyn, rhaid cydweithredu'n helaeth â phartneriaid yn y diwydiant i ddarparu cyfres gynaliadwy o gyfleoedd, prosiectau a lleoliadau dros yr haf. Hyd yma, mae bron i 400 o gyrff wedi ymweld â'r Academi ers iddi gael ei lansio ac mae wedi rhedeg bron i 80 prosiect yn wynebu cleientiaid. Yn ogystal, mae myfyrwyr a byd diwydiant yn cyfrannu at ddatblygu'r cwricwlwm, gan sicrhau mai'r sgiliau a ddatblygir yn ystod y radd yw'r rhai y mae cyflogwyr eu heisiau.
Mae ysgolheictod cydweithredol y tîm wedi golygu bod pawb wedi dod yn ymarferwyr myfyrgar mwy effeithiol. Mae myfyrio ar y cyd yr Academi ar arferion, wedi'i lywio gan adborth gan fyfyrwyr a phartneriaid ym myd diwydiant, yn arwain at weithgarwch ysgolheictod, a chanlyniad hwnnw yw newidiadau i'w harferion a'i chynnyrch ysgolheigaidd sy'n cyfrannu at y corff o wybodaeth. Mae'r Academi wedi lledaenu ei gwaith mewn amrywiaeth o gynadleddau yn y Brifysgol, yn genedlaethol ac yn rhyngwladol.
Mae nifer o wobrau wedi cydnabod gwaith yr Academi: “Cydweithrediad y Flwyddyn”, Gwobrau ESTNet 2016; “Arloeswr y Diwydiant”, Gwobrau Technoleg Cymru 2017; “Rhagoriaeth mewn Addysgu”, Gwobrau Prifysgol Caerdydd 2017; “Rhaglen Academaidd Orau” Gwobrau Fintech Cymru 2019.