Teaching Software Process Modeling

Most university curricula consider software pro- cesses to be on the fringes of software engineering (SE). Students are told there exists a plethora of software processes ranging from RUP over V-shaped processes to agile methods. Furthermore, the usual students’ programming tasks are of a size that either one student or a small group of students can manage the work. Comprehensive processes being essential for large companies in terms of reflecting the organization structure, coordinating teams, or interfaces to business processes such as contracting or sales, are complex and hard to teach in a lecture, and, therefore, often out of scope. We experienced tutorials on using Java or C#, or on developing applications for the iPhone to gather more attention by students, simply speaking, as these are more fun for them. So, why should students spend their time in software processes? From our experiences and the discussions with a variety of industrial partners, we learned that students often face trouble when taking their first “real” jobs, even if the company is organized in a lean or agile shape. Therefore, we propose to include software processes more explicitly into the SE curricula. We designed and implemented a course at Master’s level in which students learn why software processes are necessary, and how they can be analyzed, designed, implemented, and continuously improved. In this paper, we present our course’s structure, its goals, and corresponding teaching methods. We evaluate the course and further discuss our experiences so that lecturers and researchers can directly use our lessons learned in their own curricula.Peer reviewe

Object-Oriented Modeling Simulation and Control of Activated Sludge Process

Object-oriented modeling is spreading in current simulation of wastewater treatments plants through the use of the individual components of the process and its relations to define the underlying dynamic equations. In this paper, we describe the use of the free-software OpenModelica simulation environment for the object-oriented modeling of an activated sludge process under feedback control. The performance of the controlled system was analyzed both under normal conditions and in the presence of disturbances. The object-oriented described approach represents a valuable tool in teaching provides a practical insight in wastewater process control field.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

On the role of GIS technology in Geospatial Education (QGIS vs ARGIS)

In the teaching of modeling concepts and spatial analysis, a major role play technologies and software. Anyhow main aim at the education is the teaching of concept independently on what kind of technologies and software will be used. The latter might be grouped in two categories: the commercial software and Open Source software. In this article emphasises the role of GIS technologies at the process of teaching and it is fulfilled an analysis advantages adn disadvantages between both software: commercial software ArcGis, and so called “Open Source” QuantumGis. Taking in to consideration the financial possibility of the educational institutions and also the complexity of its functionalities, it suggests that Qgis might be an acceptable alternative at the process of teaching and the practice at GIS lab

DEVELOPMENT OF A MEDICAL STAFF RECRUITMENT SYSTEM FOR TEACHING HOSPITALS IN NIGERIA

Recruitment of staff into teaching hospitals in Nigeria, acts as the first step towards creating competitive strength and strategic advantage for such institutions. However, one of the major problems associated with these institutions in the South Western part of Nigeria is their mode of staff recruitment. In this research paper, we developed a suitable staff recruitment system for some health institutions in Nigeria, focusing specifically on some teaching hospitals. Three teaching hospitals in south west Nigeria, were visited and relevant information was collated through personal interviews and questionnaires administration to the staff of Human Resource Departments and other relevant health professionals of these teaching hospitals. The design and development of the system employs 3-tier web architecture. System design of the staff recruitment system consisted of design activities that produce system specifications satisfying the functional requirements that were developed in the system analysis process. A formal model of the staff recruitment system was built using Unified Modeling Language (UML). The UML, as a modeling system, which provides a set of conventions that were used to describe the software system in terms of objects, offers diagrams that provide different perspective views of the system parts. The Web-based Medical Recruitment System (WBMRS) was designed to be user friendly and it is easy to navigate

Understanding the word "analysis" in the context of requirements engineering

I have been teaching, in reality, preaching, the importance of a clear understanding for the word “analysis”. It is my conclusion, after years of exposure to the term “system analysis”, that it has mislead lots of young people how wishes to understand the process of software construction, in special the initial steps of the process. My main point is that you can only analyze something that you know. However, educators in the areas of information systems and software engineering always focused the “system analysis” as a modeling discipline, where specifications were written and formalization was sought at the very early stages of conceptions of a system. Based on this bias on modeling, analysis was a way of enforcing syntax rules of a given modeling language, which provide ways of applying verification protocols. As such, not enough emphasis was directed to the goal of really understanding the concepts involved and the needs of the clients. (Párrafo extraído del texto a modo de resumen)Facultad de Informátic

Application of Constructive Modeling and Process Mining Approaches to the Study of Source Code Development in Software Engineering Courses

We present an approach of constructing a source code history for a modern code review. Practically, it is supposed to be used in programming training, especially within initial stages. The developed constructor uses constructive-synthesizing modeling tools to classify a source code history by fine-grained changes and to construct an event log file aimed to provide information on students’ coding process. Current research applies Process Mining techniques to the software engineering domain to identify software engineering skills. By better understanding of the way students design programs, we will help novices learn programming. This research provides an innovative method of using code and development process review in teaching programming skills and is aimed to encourage using code review and monitoring coding practice in educational purposes. The standard method of evaluation takes into consideration only a final result, which doesn’t meet modern requirements of teaching programming

Teaching MDE through the Formal Verification of Process Models

International audienceModel Driven Engineering (MDE) and formal methods (FM) play a key role in the development of Safety Critical Systems (SCS). They promote user oriented abstraction and formal specification using Domain Specific Modeling Languages (DSML), early Validation and formal Verification (V&V) using efficient dedicated technologies and Automatic Code and Documentation Generation. Their combined use allow to improve system qualities and reduce development costs. However, in most computer science curriculae, both domains are usually taught independently. MDE is associated to practical software engineering and FM to theoretical computer science. This contribution relates a course about MDE for SCS development that bridges the gap between these domains. It describes the content of the course and provides the lessons learned from its teaching. It focuses on early formal verification using model checking of a DSML for development process modeling. MDE technologies are illustrated both on language engineering for CASE tool development and on development process modeling. The case study also highlights the unification power of MDE as it does not target traditional executable software

Introducing Modeling to First-Year Engineering Students for Effective Implementation in the Engineering Design Process

Introducing Modeling to First-Year Engineering Students for Effective Implementation in the Engineering Design Process Carolina Barriento and Juan Francisco Granizo Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Abstract Modeling and Simulation are fundamental skills for all engineering students [1]. However, students are usually introduced to these concepts during their junior or even as late as their senior year. Our research aims at familiarizing students with Modeling and Simulation tools in their first year of engineering studies. We consider the fact that proper learning involves using long-term memory (in contrast with working memory) and this is accomplished by the gradual introduction and practice of the concepts to learn [2]. The concept of Scaffolding is applied for this purpose. Scaffolding is a teaching method where the instructor gradually decreases the assistance provided as students increase their understanding of the material presented to them [3]. Our methodology involves a project-based approach, where students enrolled in an Introduction to Engineering course explore the Engineering Design Process by completing a semester-long design project where they work in teams to design, build, and test a prototype. Modeling and Simulation concepts are illustrated by using MATLAB and Simulink software, providing numerous opportunities to analyze connections between software models and physical models, and integrating guided mathematical modeling instruction. CAD modeling and 3D printing is also explored by having students design, model, and 3D-print a small part to be used in their prototype. The course material is designed so that students begin to make connections between virtual, mathematical, and physical models starting early in their academic career, solidifying these concepts in their long-term memory to facilitate and improve learning of engineering fundamentals in the years to come [4,5]. Our methodology involves a project-based approach, where students enrolled in an Introduction to Engineering course explore the Engineering Design Process by completing a semester-long design project where they work in teams to design, build, and test a prototype. Modeling and Simulation concepts are illustrated by using MATLAB and Simulink software, providing numerous opportunities to analyze connections between software models and physical models, and integrating guided mathematical modeling instruction. CAD modeling and 3D printing is also explored by having students design, model, and 3D-print a small part to be used in their prototype. The course material is designed so that students begin to make connections between virtual, mathematical, and physical models starting early in their academic career, solidifying these concepts in their long-term memory to facilitate and improve learning of engineering fundamentals in the years to come [4,5. Keywords: engineering fundamentals education, introduction to modeling, teaching first-year engineering students, introduction to modeling methods, introduction to the Engineering Design proces

Special Issue on the AMCIS 2001 Workshops: Business Information Systems Modeling with Computer Assisted Systems Engineering (Case) Software

This paper describes and critiques a workshop in business information systems modeling with Computer Assisted Systems Engineering (CASE) tools held at the 2001 Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS). The workshop demonstrated the effectiveness of Visible Analyst Workbench (VAW) as a systems modeling tool that generates comprehensive Process Models with multi-level Data Flow Diagrams, Data Models with Entity Relationship Diagrams, Structure Charts for automatic code generation, and Functional Decomposition Diagrams as system planning tools. A simulated teaching case with four structured exercises integrated the conceptual foundations of the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) with the practical difficulties of building complex business information systems models. The workshop also discussed how simulated teaching cases and CASE software could be used as pedagogical tools for foundational courses in systems analysis and design

Pengembangan Aplikasi E-learning dengan Metode Rapid Application Development

The development of the E-learning application is part of the solution for convenience in carrying out teaching and learning activities, the process of receiving and sending a digital document in the form of learning videos and ebooks is the most important part so that information can be accessed quickly and easily. Special methods are needed to build e-learning applications more quickly and according to needs. Requirements Planning plays a very important role in the software development process, project management in software development and one of the processes is to estimate that the software produced is according to a predetermined schedule and cost. The Rapid Application Development Method is a life cycle strategy aimed at To provide development that is much faster and get results with better quality, UML (Unified Modeling Language) is a language that has become a decent standard in designing, visualizing and documenting software