Transition to object orientation in software engineering education

Abstract

The transition to object orientation in software engineering education is discussed. The following areas are addressed: striking a correct balance between structured methods (SM) and object oriented methods (OOM) in our courses; deciding when we can cease teaching structured methods; identification of issues and problems that object CASE might pose for software engineering education; the role and number of student projects in the curriculum; industry expectations of new graduates; what linkage, if any, should exist in our courses between object technology and client/server applications and architectures; how to focus on core knowledge rather than on the current technology; the role of OMG; and what benefits our graduates can help their future employers realise from transition to object technology.