Increasing the effectiveness of teaching software engineering: A University and industry partnership

Abstract

Software Engineering is a complex topic because it encompasses multiple disciplines such as team work, effectively managing change in organizations, understanding technology, understanding software development and its lifecycle, understanding the role of change agents, and also having a good business sense. A method derived from the collaboration between North Carolina State University and ABB, brings diverse techniques that simulate an industrial environment for teaching a senior level Software Engineering course. Eleven elements that have been incorporated to enrich the Software Engineering graduate course are described. The paper also shows how the progressive incorporation of the elements have resulted increased student satisfaction.