Software development: A paradigm for the future

A new paradigm for software development that treats software development as an experimental activity is presented. It provides built-in mechanisms for learning how to develop software better and reusing previous experience in the forms of knowledge, processes, and products. It uses models and measures to aid in the tasks of characterization, evaluation and motivation. An organization scheme is proposed for separating the project-specific focus from the organization's learning and reuse focuses of software development. The implications of this approach for corporations, research and education are discussed and some research activities currently underway at the University of Maryland that support this approach are presented

Automating assessment and evaluation for a bachelor’s degree program

Outcome-based education (OBE) makes learning happen and measures automating assessment and evaluation system. The objective of the study is to assess student’s learning in International Finance course and report OBE and propose strategies for continual quality improvement (CQI). In this study, a widely accepted self-developed spreadsheet used to measure course learning outcomes (CLO) and program learning outcomes (PLO) of international finance in a bachelor’s degree program of fall 2021. The method of sampling technique is purposive and a sample of 27 students have been considered for the analysis. Using direct method on specific parameters (quiz, assignment, presentation, and exams), an overall CLO attainment has been measured and compared with a targeted key performance indicators (KPI) (70% is set). Findings reveal that the first three out of five CLO have met the standard KPI. However, a CQI has been proposed for further improvement of CLO. Also, future works proposed to instrument CQI processes, engage industry experts and external OBE experts from foreign universities. Program self-assessment is mandatory for quality assurance at university and also preparation for accreditation of the program needs self-assessment. Therefore, CLO is mandatory for assessment and evaluation urgently

Overcoming Language Dichotomies: Toward Effective Program Comprehension for Mobile App Development

Mobile devices and platforms have become an established target for modern software developers due to performant hardware and a large and growing user base numbering in the billions. Despite their popularity, the software development process for mobile apps comes with a set of unique, domain-specific challenges rooted in program comprehension. Many of these challenges stem from developer difficulties in reasoning about different representations of a program, a phenomenon we define as a "language dichotomy". In this paper, we reflect upon the various language dichotomies that contribute to open problems in program comprehension and development for mobile apps. Furthermore, to help guide the research community towards effective solutions for these problems, we provide a roadmap of directions for future work.Comment: Invited Keynote Paper for the 26th IEEE/ACM International Conference on Program Comprehension (ICPC'18

Seafloor characterization using airborne hyperspectral co-registration procedures independent from attitude and positioning sensors

The advance of remote-sensing technology and data-storage capabilities has progressed in the last decade to commercial multi-sensor data collection. There is a constant need to characterize, quantify and monitor the coastal areas for habitat research and coastal management. In this paper, we present work on seafloor characterization that uses hyperspectral imagery (HSI). The HSI data allows the operator to extend seafloor characterization from multibeam backscatter towards land and thus creates a seamless ocean-to-land characterization of the littoral zone

DXC Dandelion Program: 2018 in Review

[Excerpt] 2018 was another very successful year for the DXC Dandelion Program. DXC established a number of new, critical partnerships that continue to propel autism at work programs to the forefront of workplace inclusion. This has resulted in the program growing significantly throughout the year. DXC has now successfully established seven teams across four states in Australia, employing over 80 people on the autism spectrum

Practical Application Of Uml Activity Diagrams For The Generation Of Test Cases

Software testing and debugging represents around one third of total effort in development projects. Different factors which have influence on poor practices of testing have been identified through specific surveys. Amongst several, one of the most important is the lack of efficient methods to exploit development models for generating test cases. This paper presents a new method for automatically generating a complete set of functional test cases from UML activity diagrams complementing specification of use cases. Test cases are prioritized according to software risk information. Results from experiences with more than 70 software professionals/experts validate benefits of the method. Participants also confirm its interest and effectiveness for testing needs of industry

Automating the analysis of problem-solving activities in learning environments: the co-lab case study

The analysis of problem-solving activities carried out by students in learning settings involves studying the students' actions and assessing the solutions they have created. This analysis constitutes an ideal starting point to support an automatic intervention in the student activity by means of feedback or other means to help students build their own knowledge. In this paper, we present a model-driven framework to facilitate the automation of this problemsolving analysis and of providing feedback. This framework includes a set of authoring tools that enable software developers to specify the analysis process and its intervention mechanisms by means of visual languages. The models specified in this way are computed by the framework in order to create technological support to automate the problem-solving analysis. The use of the framework is illustrated thanks to a case study in the field of System Dynamics where problem-solving practices are analysed.The Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (España) has partially supported this research under Project TIN2011-29542-C02-02. The authors would like to express their gratitude to Ton de Jong, Wouter R. van Joolingen and Sylvia van Borkulo (University of Twente), for supporting this research. The work reported here was done during Rafael Duque’s stay at the Department of Instructional Technology of the University of Twente

Designing for designers: Towards the development of accessible ICT products and services using the VERITAS framework

Among key design practices which contribute to the development of inclusive ICT products and services is user testing with people with disabilities. Traditionally, this involves partial or minimal user testing through the usage of standard heuristics, employing external assisting devices, and the direct feedback of impaired users. However, efficiency could be improved if designers could readily analyse the needs of their target audience. The VERITAS framework simulates and systematically analyses how users with various impairments interact with the use of ICT products and services. Findings show that the VERITAS framework is useful to designers, offering an intuitive approach to inclusive design.The work presented in this article forms part of VERITAS, which is funded by the European Commission's 7th Framework Programme (FP7) (grant agreement # 247765 FP7-ICT-2009.7.2)