Re: Software Engineering Education

[cis.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wu archive!rex!uflorida!screamer!stelmack@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Gregory M. Stelmac]

OK, I'm in on this too, with two points to make:

1) As far as general distribution classes go, if you want a programming degree
without them there are lots of by-mail companies that offer degrees, as well
as lots of Institutes (ITT Technical Institute is one we always see advertised
here in Florida) that will give you training in computer programming without
all the excess. Universities are educational institutions trying to turn out
educated people. If I had it to do over again (even though I'm not quite done
yet), I would still want to take all those "extras" just for the information.
Besides, how do you know what kinds of programs you want to write if you don't
have any idea about other fields? A good deal of computer programming is for
non-computer areas (MIS, for one...). Without a background in that area, how
can you really program for it?

2) Teaching Software Engineering Concepts in classes: I think the greatest
hindrance to this is that students are taking several classes at once, and
many are working to help pay for school (me, for one). Students simply don't
have the time to do the kind of major projects that allow the teaching and
experience of what has been called "macro-SE" here. One way that USF does get
this to some students is by allowing some undergraduates to get in on research
projects. In this way, the undergraduate gets a part-time job working in with
other programmers, an experience that naturally teaches much about SE (as well
as a good deal about whatever the research project is on). Maybe if more of
these kinds of positions were offered, more undergraduates will get that
experience. But, if an undergraduate has to work a non-computer job, that
student will be scrimping for time, and is forced to throw a program together
in a few hours for a class to get it in on time.
    But, the "micro-SE" is fairly easy to integrate into classes, and has been
in every class I've taken so far.

-- Greg Stelmack (stelmack@sol.csee.usf.edu)

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