Technology and management of large-scale programs Semiannual progress report

Technology and management of large scale program

Learning through practice via role-playing: Lessons learnt

Software engineering is the establishment and use of sound engineering principles in order to obtain economically software that is reliable and works efficiently on real machine. Sound software engineering closely related with socio-technical activity that depends on several human issues which are communication, collaboration, motivation, work environment, team harmony, engagement, training and education. These issues affect everything for students to fully understand software engineering and be prepared for software development careers. Therefore courses offered in the university must also consider the sociological and communication aspects, often called the socio-technical aspects. One popular method is to use role-playing exercises. Role-playing is a less technologically elaborate form of simulation for learning interpersonal skills and is analogous to rehearsal. It is particularly helpful when students are having difficulties to relate lessons learnt in the university to the applicability of the knowledge in the real implementation. This is because many students view software engineering as meaningless bureaucracy and have little interest in the knowledge delivered in the lecture hall. This scenario impedes the expansion of current knowledge and inhibits the possibility of knowledge exploration to solve range of industry problems. Simply lecturing about software engineering will never engage students or convince them that software engineering has value. Given this student bias, the goal of teaching software engineering often becomes convincing students that it has value. To achieve this, students need to experience firsthand the sociological and communication difficulties associated with developing software systems. In this paper, we argue that in teaching software engineering we must cover two essential things; delivery of knowledge and skills required in the software engineering domain in a form of lecture and hands-on practice to experience the value of the knowledge and skills learnt. We report on our experiences gained in deploying role-playing in master degree program. Role-playing is used as pedagogical tool to give students a greater appreciation of the range of issues and problems associated with software engineering in real settings. We believe that the lessons learnt from this exercise will be valuable for those interested in advancing software engineering education and training

Paston Sixth Form College: report from the Inspectorate (FEFC inspection report; 111/95 and 29/98)

The Further Education Funding Council has a legal duty to make sure further education in England is properly assessed. The FEFC’s inspectorate inspects and reports on each college of further education according to a four-year cycle. This record comprises two of these reports for periods 1994-95 and 1997-98

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics: Australia’s future

Presents recommendations for Australia to take a strategic approach to science and its related fields, focusing on: building competitiveness, supporting high quality education and training, maximising research potential and strengthening international engagement. Introduction The global economy is changing. New technologies and smart companies lead. New industries and new sources of wealth are emerging. New skills are required for workers at all levels. Australians must decide whether we will be in the forefront of these changes or be left behind. We have a choice. Our competitiveness cannot be underpinned by our natural resources alone. Nor can we afford to be complacent about our place in the global race. Nations at all levels of development are now focusing on the capabilities required for building new jobs and creating wealth. In partnership with business, they are acting now to secure the skills, investment and international alliances for the future. At the core of almost every agenda is a focus on STEM: science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It is the almost universal preoccupation now shaping economic plans. In other words, the economic plans are designed to support the focus on STEM, rather than limit it. We too need to recognise that prosperity has to be earned; just as opportunity must be embraced. Above all, we need to ensure that our needs and our capabilities are aligned: across government and across the Australian community. It is the knowledge that STEM will offer and the sensible application of that knowledge that are the means to the end: building a stronger Australia with a competitive economy

Faculty Excellence

Each year, the University of New Hampshire selects a small number of its outstanding faculty for special recognition of their achievements in teaching, scholarship and service. Awards for Excellence in Teaching are given in each college and school, and university-wide awards recognize public service, research, teaching and engagement. This booklet details the year\u27s award winners\u27 accomplishments in short profiles with photographs and text

Brockenhurst College: report from the Inspectorate (FEFC inspection report; 43/96 and 88/99)

Comprises two Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) inspection reports for the periods 1995-96 and 1998-99

Craven College: report from the Inspectorate (FEFC inspection report; 99/95 and 44/99)

Comprises two Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) inspection reports for the periods 1994-95 and 1998-1999

Transition UGent: a bottom-up initiative towards a more sustainable university

The vibrant think-tank ‘Transition UGent’ engaged over 250 academics, students and people from the university management in suggesting objectives and actions for the Sustainability Policy of Ghent University (Belgium). Founded in 2012, this bottom-up initiative succeeded to place sustainability high on the policy agenda of our university. Through discussions within 9 working groups and using the transition management method, Transition UGent developed system analyses, sustainability visions and transition paths on 9 fields of Ghent University: mobility, energy, food, waste, nature and green, water, art, education and research. At the moment, many visions and ideas find their way into concrete actions and policies. In our presentation we focused on the broad participative process, on the most remarkable structural results (e.g. a formal and ambitious Sustainability Vision and a student-led Sustainability Office) and on recent actions and experiments (e.g. a sustainability assessment on food supply in student restaurants, artistic COP21 activities, ambitious mobility plans, food leftovers projects, an education network on sustainability controversies, a transdisciplinary platform on Sustainable Cities). We concluded with some recommendations and reflections on this transition approach, on the important role of ‘policy entrepreneurs’ and student involvement, on lock-ins and bottlenecks, and on convincing skeptical leaders

“The Data Shuffle”: Using Playing Cards to Illustrate Data Management Concepts to a Broad Audience

Educators must constantly figure out engaging ways to teach data management and modeling concepts, especially to non-technical audiences. This paper introduces and describes an experiential learning activity using playing cards to teach a range of business and technical concepts. The paper is enriched by personal anecdotes and experiences from conducting this activity in both academic and professional settings. A repeated measures survey (pre-test, post-test, and follow-up one week later) is used to evaluate the effectiveness of the exercise. Participants reported enjoying the exercise, demonstrated improved understanding, felt confident about their new knowledge, and recalled important concepts a week later