Enhancing the software engineering curriculums: A case study of the Jordanian Universities

Software Engineering is about creating high-quality software in a systematic, controlled, and efficient manner. Although the Software Engineering discipline had been recognized since 1968, there is still no agreement among the Universities worldwide about what should be included in the Software Engineering curriculums or study plans. This problem has resulted in that different knowledge areas are being taught to the Software Engineering students in different universities. Also this problem has resulted in that many universities now include courses in the Software Engineering curriculum that are not related to Software Engineering. A case study of the Jordanian Universities had proved that more than 60% of the courses taught at the Software Engineering departments of the Jordanian Universities are non Software Engineering related courses. An analysis had been conducted to compare the current Software Engineering courses taught at the different Jordanian Universities and the guidance provided by the ACM/IEEE about what should constitute an undergraduate Software Engineering education. Also an analysis of the Software Engineering courses taught at different countries such as UK and USA had been conducted where these countries were chosen because they contain many of the top ranked Universities in the world. The analysis had resulted in determining the knowledge areas that should be added to the curriculum of each Jordanian University. Enhancing the curriculum will result in a SE graduates that are equipped with the needed knowledge to join the software market.