Evaluating groupware support for software engineering students

Software engineering tasks, during both development and maintenance, typically involve teamwork using computers. Team members rarely work on isolated computers. An underlying assumption of our research is that software engineering teams will work more effectively if adequately supported by network-based groupware technology. Experience of working with groupware and evaluating groupware systems will also give software engineering students a direct appreciation of the requirements of engineering such systems. This research is investigating the provision of such network-based support for software engineering students and the impact these tools have on their groupwork. We will first describe our experiences gained through the introduction of an asynchronous virtual environment ­ SEGWorld to support groupwork during the Software Engineering Group (SEG) project undertaken by all second year undergraduates within the Department of Computer Science. Secondly we will describe our Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) module which has been introduced into the students' final year of study as a direct result of our experience with SEG, and in particular its role within Software Engineering. Within this CSCW module the students have had the opportunity to evaluate various groupware tools. This has enabled them to take a retrospective view of their experience of SEGWorld and its underlying system, BSCW, one year on. We report our findings for SEG in the form of a discussion of the hypotheses we formulated on how the SEGs would use SEGWorld, and present an initial qualitative assessment of student feedback from the CSCW module

A Software Engineer’s Competencies: Undergraduate Preconceptions in Contrast to Teaching Intentions

Unlike numerous scientific disciplines, the field of engineering has rarely been subject to investigations of undergraduate pre-/misconceptions except for STEM subjects within engineering degrees. When it comes to Software Engineering, some special issues have to be taken into account (e.g. novelty of the discipline and immateriality of the product) that make this discipline hard to teach and learn. Additionally, it requires a wide range of different technical competencies as well as soft skills. As a consequence, the goal is to improve learning by using undergraduates’ “right” conceptions as “points of departure” and reduce learning obstacles by facing misconceptions. This paper is giving some first insights into a quantitative study conducted with undergraduates – before and after instruction – as well as two professors using a questionnaire to rate Software Engineering competencies to elicit preconceptions

A First Course in Software Engineering for Aerospace Engineers

Software is a critical component of mission capability in all aerospace systems. This capability is realized directly through the use of onboard software, and enabled through the use of software on ground support systems. Students attending an aerospace engineering program come with a highly diversified background in software development ranging from novice user to expert programmer. A first course in software development has to account for the diversity, and as an outcome provide both a common vocabulary, as well as a common baseline of skills. This paper presents our learning from designing and teaching such a course for aerospace engineering undergraduates

Information Literacy as Correlates of Engineering Undergraduates’ Use of Electronic Resources in Three Universities in Osun State, Nigeria.

Information literacy conceptualized to be an individual recognized the need for information and know how to find, evaluate and communicate information effectively to make decision, this study focused on information literacy as correlates of engineering undergraduates use of electronic resources in three universities in Osun state, Nigeria. The study extensively discussed on: information literacy, electronic resources use, and types of information available, level of use. The descriptive survey design was adopted, the population consisted 100-500level engineering students both in a federal, private and state universities under study. Three hundred fifty- four (354) copies of questionnaire were administered to engineering undergraduate’s students across the selected three universities, two hundred and twenty-seven (227) copies of questionnaire filled were returned for analyses software package for social sciences were used for data analyses. The study further emphasized on types of e-resources, purpose of use of e-resources, frequency of use of e-resources etc, it was revealed from the study that, e-resources were found moderately available, usable for personal development of engineering undergraduates students in Osun state, the study therefore concludes that relevant electronic information resources, non-reliability of online information and staff willingness to assists students in the use of e-resources is one among the problems confronting engineering undergraduates students. Finally, it was recommended from the study that, information literacy should be incorporated into the general studies programme on library use which should be made compulsory for all undergraduates in their first year in the university

Game-Based Learning in Engineering Education

The new generation of undergraduates entering UK higher education have grown up with computer games of ever increasing sophistication. In this educational project a race game, Racing Academy, was developed to investigate how game technology and gaming communities could enhance undergraduate engineering education. The computer game embodied the principles of engineering dynamics to simulate and display in real time a car drag race in which students ‘designed’ their car by selecting an engine, tyres and gearbox from a set menu. The aim was to complete a set course in the minimum time and graphically display the dynamic performance in order to better understand the engineering system. The students and staff involved in this project provided extensive feedback on the exercise and identified the visual nature of game-based learning software as a positive feature that helped illustrate engineering dynamics. Game-based learning communities, organised around tutor groups, were seen as an excellent way of encouraging an element of competition in a small non-threatening environment while discussion forums based around Moodle provided efficient support for the large group of 160 students. Finally, learning through ‘doing’ in a game environment was proven to be a successful method of illustrating physical phenomena

Strategies for teaching engineering mathematics

This thesis is an account of experiments into the teaching of mathematics to engineering undergraduates which have been conducted over twenty years against a background of changing intake ability, varying output requirements and increasing restrictions on the formal contact time available. The aim has been to improve the efficiency of the teaching-learning process. The main areas of experimentation have been the integration in the syllabus of numerical and analytical methods, the incorporation of case studies into the curriculum and the use of micro-based software to enhance the teaching process. Special attention is paid to courses in Mathematical Engineering and their position in the spectrum of engineering disciplines. A core curriculum in mathematics for undergraduate engineers is proposed and details are provided of its implementation. The roles of case studies and micro-based software are highlighted. The provision of a mathematics learning resource centre is considered a necessary feature of the implementation of the proposed course. Finally, suggestions for further research are made

Contrasting Innovation Competence FINCODA Model in Software Engineering: Narrative Review

[EN] Purpose: Innovation competences are expected both in businesses and in higher education. Software organizations, in particular, require engineers that collaborate to deliver better services and products. Staff recruitment and training are human resource management tasks that are crucial to insuring that applicants and job holders have the competences that will facilitate quality output in software development processes. This paper narrates the results of the mapping review accomplished to determine the competences that describe high-performing, innovative professionals in software engineering and weighs them against the FINCODA model on innovation competences devised to assess and enhance individuals' capacity to innovate; a core outcome of the Framework for Innovation Competences Development and Assessment Project. Design/methodology/approach: A review protocol was followed to examine the literature on software engineering to identify the innovation competence and behavioral indicators that are required in individuals. Findings: According to the literature, the innovation competences required of the staff in software companies are creativity, critical thinking, initiative, team work and networking, dimensions that are contained in the FINCODA model. Findings also support the inclusion of the thirty-four behavioral indicators that constitute the five dimensions of the FINCODA model. Originality/value: Business organizations need tools to assess innovation competences in employees. Universities, as well, lack the instruments to measure development of innovation competence in undergraduates that teaching/learning methods should enhance before students reach the workplace. This research sheds light on innovative workplace behaviors of software engineers and on feasible designs of training programs for staff and undergraduates by using the FINCODA model and its behavioral indicators. Future research will focus on ratifying the validation of the model and the online assessment tool derived from it.This work has been conducted as part of a European project financed by the European Union ["FINCODA" Project 554493-EPP-1-2014-1-FI-EPPKA2-KA] (http://bit.ly/FINCODA-EUsite01). (The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein).Andreu Andrés, MA.; González-Ladrón-De-Guevara, F.; García Carbonell, A.; Watts Hooge, FI. (2018). Contrasting Innovation Competence FINCODA Model in Software Engineering: Narrative Review. Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management. 11(4):715-734. https://doi.org/10.3926/jiem.2656S71573411

An evaluation of a teaching package constructed using a Web‐based lecture recorder

This paper describes an evaluation of a teaching package used to replace lectures in two closely related university courses on Discrete Mathematics. The package was developed using Audiograph, a Web‐based lecture recorder developed at the University of Surrey. Two groups of subjects were studied: a group of undergraduates, mostly fresh from schools, and a group of postgraduates, mostly with post‐university work experience. Although the postgraduates with their greater maturity and experience were significantly more positive in their appraisal than the undergraduates, both groups agreed on the beneficial aspects of being able to work at one's own time and pace, and being able to repeat material at will. It is clear, however, that, in the context investigated, where the lecturer was readily available, such a package can never supplant a human teacher, and that considerable effort needs to be expended in order to integrate the package into a rich learning environment

Recruitment, Preparation, Retention: A case study of computing culture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Computer science is seeing a decline in enrollment at all levels of education, including undergraduate and graduate study. This paper reports on the results of a study conducted at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign which evaluated students attitudes regarding three areas which can contribute to improved enrollment in the Department of Computer Science: Recruitment, preparation and retention. The results of our study saw two themes. First, the department's tight research focus appears to draw significant attention from other activities -- such as teaching, service, and other community-building activities -- that are necessary for a department's excellence. Yet, as demonstrated by our second theme, one partial solution is to better promote such activities already employed by the department to its students and faculty. Based on our results, we make recommendations for improvements and enhancements based on the current state of practice at peer institutions.Comment: 37 pages, 13 figures. For better quality figures, please download the .pdf from http://www.cs.uiuc.edu/research/techreports.php?report=UIUCDCS-R-2007-281