Focus: from education to software quality

Traditionally, research at the OU was targeted at educational science. In 2010 the first research program of the School of Computer Science was formulated. This research program contained two research lines on software technology: Software Technology for Teaching and Learning and Software Technology for Quality Improvement.

In 2014 the School of Computer Science was integrated in the Faculty of Management, Science & Technology (MST). As Department of Computer Science it contributed to the MST interdisciplinary research program Learning and Innovation in Resilient Systems 2015-2020.

In 2020 the Department of Computer Science formed with the Departments of Information Science and Environmental Sciences the new Faculty of Sciences.

Towards high quality and intelligent software

The integration in the new Faculty of Sciences resulted in a new research programme on Computer Sciences (2020-2025), titled: Towards high quality and intelligent software. The research in this programme is for a large part aiming at improving quality assurance technology for software engineering. It is composed of four program lines:

• Software Quality
  This program line focuses on quality assurance techniques for software systems. Research concentrates on techniques for, or based on, automated testing, theorem proving, model checking, run-time verification and static analysis.
  This program line is led by prof. dr. Tanja Vos, prof. dr. Stef Joosten and dr. Sung-Shik Jongmans.
• Security & Privacy
  This program line focuses on security of software and computer systems, and privacy-by-design.
  This program line is led by dr. ir. Harald Vranken.
• Artificial Intelligence
  This program line focuses on methods for artificial intelligence (such as Bayesian models, machine learning and deep learning), responsible AI, and applications (smart services).
  This program line is led by dr. Arjen Hommersom and dr. Stefano Bromuri.
• Teaching & Learning
  This program line focuses on learning-supporting tools and on computing education.
  This program line is led by prof. dr. Erik Barendsen and dr. Bastiaan Heeren.

Context: mulitidisciplinary research programme LIRS

The research of the department of Computer Science is executed in the context of the multidisciplinary research programme of the OU, Innovating for Resilience, and more specifically within the Learning and Innovation in Resilient Systems (LIRS) research line. The main aim of this multidisciplinary programme is to enhance our understanding of the innovative and learning possibilities of resilient systems, with a focus on information and computer systems, organisation and management systems and environmental systems

The LIRS research programme consists of three main themes: Learning, Resilience, and Innovation. The department's research efforts align with this programme as follows:

Learning

• Learning-supporting tools
• Computer Science education
• Computer Science didactics

Resilience

• Software quality / formal verification & testing
• Security & privacy

Innovation

• Artificial intelligence & machine learning