The importance of cost‐benefit analysis (CBA) ‐ a response

In Issue 11.2, Nicol and Coen (2003) argue for developing a cost-benefit analysis model for learning technology. However, there are three substantive issues with this approach. First, it is problematic because it involves comparing different things; second, because by understanding the purpose of the analysis, it may be possible to justify the necessary simplifications for special cases and limited applications while being explicit about the limitations; and third (and conversely), this can expose errors and omissions in the analysis even after accepting its general principles

Assessing the Unseen: Roles of Confidentiality and Trust in Software Engineering Work-based Learning Programmes [Poster]

A typical academic degree focused on software engineering has little practical relationship with the industry it is named for, other than the occasional placement or internship. Unlike other professions such as medicine, dentistry and veterinary sciences, candidates do not need to participate in significant professional practice to earn their degree. Indeed, if we consider a traditional academic software engineering student they probably have far more experience constructing shiny new ‘green-field’ systems, than maintaining the old ‘brown-field’ systems found in industry, and generating most professional work. Consequently, there is growing enthusiasm for work-based learning programmes that provide an opportunity for candidates to cement abstract academic theory in concrete personal experience. Work-based learning software engineering students earn their degree by combining theory with actual practice in a professional environment. Nevertheless, the intangible outcomes for much of software engineering has led to an industry obsessed with confidentiality, driven by concerns of employees smuggling source code to competitors or regulators. This obsession potentially presents a barrier to work-based learning schemes as employers prevent outsiders, even close higher education partners, from observing the systems and the source code that learners are working on. Learners may have the opportunity for concrete personal experience, but educators are barred from observing any such experience. However, confidentiality agreements may not necessarily present barriers to assessment, but instead provide an opportunity to assess comprehension and transferable skills by requiring abstract descriptions and reports. This is the converse to the problem in some programming courses, where students submit code without demonstrating that they understand it and can discuss it in terms of the concepts taught. In this talk and accompanying poster we explore some models for software engineering work-based learning programmes that have the potential to maintain confidentiality while assessing learners’ comprehension and ability. We invite discussion and criticism from conference attendees of the presented models, and are interested in potential partners for future collaboration

Research-teaching linkages: enhancing graduate attributes. Arts, humanities and social sciences

This publication represents one output of the Quality Enhancement Theme of Research-Teaching Linkages: enhancing graduate attributes. Sections 2-5 relate primarily to the project outcomes of use to educational developers and arts, humanities and social sciences academics looking for approaches to enhance their practice. Section 5 comprises in-depth case studies. Section 6 is an introductory discussion of the evidence from the interviews undertaken by the team. Section 7 explores project conclusions and recommendations for the future

Lessons learned from evaluating eight password nudges in the wild

Background. The tension between security and convenience, when creating passwords, is well established. It is a tension that often leads users to create poor passwords. For security designers, three mitigation strategies exist: issuing passwords, mandating minimum strength levels or encouraging better passwords. The first strategy prompts recording, the second reuse, but the third merits further investigation. It seemed promising to explore whether users could be subtly nudged towards stronger passwords.Aim. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of visual nudges on self-chosen password length and/or strength.Method. A university application, enabling students to check course dates and review grades, was used to support two consecutive empirical studies over the course of two academic years. In total, 497 and 776 participants, respectively, were randomly assigned either to a control or an experimental group. Whereas the control group received no intervention, the experimental groups were presented with different visual nudges on the registration page of the web application whenever passwords were created. The experimental groups’ password strengths and lengths were then compared that of the control group.Results. No impact of the visual nudges could be detected, neither in terms of password strength nor length. The ordinal score metric used to calculate password strength led to a decrease in variance and test power, so that the inability to detect an effect size does not definitively indicate that such an effect does not exist.Conclusion. We cannot conclude that the nudges had no effect on password strength. It might well be that an actual effect was not detected due to the experimental design choices. Another possible explanation for our result is that password choice is influenced by the user’s task, cognitive budget, goals and pre-existing routines. A simple visual nudge might not have the power to overcome these forces. Our lessons learned therefore recommend the use of a richer password strength quantification measure, and the acknowledgement of the user’s context, in future studies

Demystifying and Decluttering Participation in Software Engineering Education Programmes

Academics and employers can partner to deliver professional software engineering education via work-based learning (WBL) programmes. These programmes have the potential to engage and motivate under-represented groups, including those that would not normally engage in higher education. However, challenges still exist in supporting such individuals in participating in WBL programmes. Consequently, we discuss a project on broadening participation in WBL software engineering to support individuals from under-represented groups to participate in software engineering education

Relating Spatial Skills and Expression Evaluation

Work connecting spatial skills to computing has used course grades or marks, or general programming tests as the measure of computing ability. In order to map the relationship between spatial skills and computing more precisely, this paper picks out a particular subset of possible programming concepts and skills, that of expression evaluation. The paper describes the development of an expression evaluation test, which aims to identify participants' ability to perform evaluations of expressions across a range of complexity. The results indicate participants' expression evaluation ability was significantly correlated with a spatial skills test (r=0.48), even more so when only considering those with less prior programming experience (r=0.58). Thus, we have determined that spatial skills are of value in expression evaluation exercises, particularly for beginners

What Do We Do When We Teach Software Engineering?

Many UK higher education institutions offer software engineering programmes, but the purpose and relevance of these programmes within computing science departments is not always obvious. The reality is that while advanced economies require many more skilled software engineers, universities are not delivering them. This is at least true in the context of the United Kingdom, where there are high numbers of software engineering vacancies and unemployed software engineering graduates. A possible explanation could be that curriculum content of software engineering programmes in universities needs to be reconsidered to meet the needs of industry. However, reconsidering curriculum content alone is unlikely to be transformative as there is little to be gained from changing to an emerging methodology, language or framework. Instead, an alternative direction could be to reconsider curriculum delivery and the identity of software engineering within computing science itself. In this paper, we contextualise the challenge by considering the history of software engineering education and some of its key developments. We then consider some of the alternative delivery approaches, before arguing cooperative programmes provide a opportunity for institutions to reconsider software engineering education