Teaching ISO/IEC 12207 software lifecycle processes: a serious game approach

Serious games involve applying game design techniques to tasks of a serious nature. In particular, serious games can be used as informative tools and can be embedded in formal education. Although there are some studies related to the application of serious games for the software development process, there is no serious game that teaches the fundamentals of the ISO/IEC 12207:1995 Systems and software engineering – Software life cycle processes, which is an international standard for software lifecycle processes that aims to be ‘the’ standard that defines all the tasks required for developing and maintaining software. “Floors” is a serious game that proposes an interactive learning experience to introduce ISO/IEC 12207:1995 by creating different floors of a virtual environment where various processes of the standard are discussed and implemented. Inherently, it follows an iterative process based on interactive technical dialogues in a 3D computer simulated office. The tool is designed to assess the novice engineering practitioners knowledge and provide preliminary training for ISO/IEC 12207:1995 processes. By playing such a game, participants are able to learn about the details of this standard. The present study provides a framework for the exploration of research data obtained from computer engineering students. Results suggest that there is a significant difference between the knowledge gained among the students who have played Floors and those who have only participated in paper-based learning sessions. Our findings indicate that participants who played Floors tend to have greater knowledge of the ISO/IEC 12207:1995 standard, and as a result, we recommend the use of serious games that seem to be superior to traditional paper based approach

A systematic approach for the analysis, design and implementation of Telecommunications-Supported Training (TST) systems

The objetive of the present thesis is to develop and test out a systematic approach to the analysis, design and implementation of Telecommunications-Supported Training (TST) systems. The Literature Review offers a set of approaches to similar problems in the field of Information Systems. Several other disciplines have also been considered: Psychology of Human Factors, Organizational and Innovation Theory, and applied research being currently carried out under the EU DELTA Programme. A global User-Centred Model of TST has been developed, based on the wellestablished principles of Systems Engineering and Soft Systems Methodology. The theoretical basis for this model is the concept of TST Architecture, conceived as a functional arrangement of technical components which are introduced in order to improve the performance of the actors involved in the system. The other key aspect is the design of a set of Adoption Strategies, aiming for the creation of the necessary conditions to achieve user acceptance of the technologies implemented. Following these principles, the ADAM (Architectural Design and Adoption Model) systematic approach is developed. It is structured in five stages: Context Analysis, System Analysis, System Design, System Implementation and System Maintenance. Each stage is structured into steps and activities, described in terms of key points, outcomes, deliverables, and roles involved. The ADAM approach has been tested out in its twofold dimension of analyzing already implemented TST systems and designing new ones. The first case discusses the application of ADAM to the EU Multimedia TeleSchool (MTS) TST system. The test is completed by discussing the design and implementation, performed by the author, of a TST system at the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid. The results confirm the usefulness of ADAM both for practitioners and researchers in the field. Also, the TST model is extended as regards the components of acceptance and adoption, and their impact on the introduction of technologies in organizations

Categorizing Non-Functional Requirements Using a Hierarchy in UML.

Non-functional requirements (NFRs) are a subset of requirements, the means by which software system developers and clients communicate about the functionality of the system to be built. This paper has three main parts: first, an overview of how non-functional requirements relate to software engineering is given, along with a survey of NFRs in the software engineering literature. Second, a collection of 161 NFRs is diagrammed using the Unified Modelling Language, forming a tool with which developers may more easily identify and write additional NFRs. Third, a lesson plan is presented, a learning module intended for an undergraduate software engineering curriculum. The results of presenting this learning module to a class in Spring, 2003 is presented

Negotiation of software requirements in an asynchronous collaborative environment

The effect of task structure and negotiation sequence on collaborative software requirements negotiation is investigated. This work began with an extensive literature review that focused on current research in collaborative software engineering and, in particular, on the negotiation of software requirements and the requisite collaboration for the development of such requirements. A formal detailed experiment was then conducted to evaluate the effects of negotiation sequence and task structure in an asynchronous group meeting environment. The experiment tested the impact of these structures on groups negotiating the requirements for an emergency response information system. The results reported here show that these structures can have a positive impact on solution quality but a negative impact on process satisfaction, although following a negotiation sequence and task structure can help asynchronous groups come to agreement faster. Details of the experimental procedures, statistical analysis, and discussion of the results of the experiment are also presented, as are suggestions for improving this work and a plan for future research

RICIS Symposium 1988

Integrated Environments for Large, Complex Systems is the theme for the RICIS symposium of 1988. Distinguished professionals from industry, government, and academia have been invited to participate and present their views and experiences regarding research, education, and future directions related to this topic. Within RICIS, more than half of the research being conducted is in the area of Computer Systems and Software Engineering. The focus of this research is on the software development life-cycle for large, complex, distributed systems. Within the education and training component of RICIS, the primary emphasis has been to provide education and training for software professionals

MSU Update, 1994

MSU Update Newsletters for 1994

Academic group and forum on Facebook : social, serious studies or synergy?

An academic group and discussion forum were established on Facebook for a cohort of postgraduate students studying the concepts and principles of eLearning. The Forum had a constructivist, student-centric ethos, in which students initiated topics for discussion, while the course leader and administrator facilitated. Previous research has been conducted, involving content analysis of the topics and academic discourse, but the present study focuses on social aspects, investigating social- and study-related pursuits and determining whether synergy can exist between them. A literature review shows how social networking by students, initially social, began to overlap with academia, leading to the use of groups for academic purposes and forums for subject-related discussions. In the present study, data was triangulated and two methods of data analysis were used. Qualitative analysis was done on free-text data from students’ reflective essays to extract socially-related themes. Heuristic evaluation was conducted by expert evaluators, who investigated forum discourse in line with contemporary learning theory and who considered the social culture of participation. Findings of the qualitative analysis of students’ perceptions and results of the heuristic evaluation of forum participation confirmed each other, indicating a warm social climate and a conducive, well-facilitated environment that supported individual participation styles. It fostered inter-personal relationships between distance learners, as well as study-related relationships due to peer teaching and insights acquired from social negotiation. The environment supported student-initiative, but was moderated by facilitators. The mixed-methods research approach of evaluating students’ essays and conducting expert analysis of forum discussions showed the advent of a virtual community with a synergy between social aspects and academia. Most participants experienced a sound balance of social- and study-related benefits, but with a stronger focus on academic matters.Computin