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From: kcby@scotty.Atlanta.NCR.COM (K. C. Yakemovic)
Newsgroups: comp.edu,comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: CS education
Message-ID: <1054@scotty.Atlanta.NCR.COM>
Date: 16 Nov 89 18:00:10 GMT
Article-I.D.: scotty.1054
References: <7036@hubcap.clemson.edu> <7046@hubcap.clemson.edu>
Reply-To: kcby@scotty.UUCP (K. C. Yakemovic)
Organization: NCR Corporation, E&M Atlanta
Lines: 32

In article <7046@hubcap.clemson.edu> billwolf%hazel.cs.clemson.edu@hubcap.clemson.edu writes:
>From ofut@hubcap.clemson.edu (A. Jeff Offutt):
>    ... neither is it reasonable 
>    to require people who wish to become information systems software 
>    engineers to complete an operating systems project.  Instead,
>    there exist domains which are reasonably uncomplicated, such as
>    gradesheet management, which are quite well-suited for use as a
>    basis for a general-purpose software engineering project.  Since 
>    the domain is simple and easily understood, the software engineering
>    course can focus instead upon software development processes,  
>    < deleted list of processes... which included requirements analysis>

It is my opinion that one of the greatest weaknesses we have in industry is
in the *requirements analysis* area.  I'll agree you can teach most of the
other software engineering processes with "uncomplicated" domains.  But it
seems to me that learning to do requirements analysis requires a reasonably
complicated domain.

Especially as 'beginning' software engineers, we are not likely to work in
familiar, or easly understood, domains.  In many cases, our new employeer
will be trying to move into areas that no one in their organization knows
well.  Allowing a student to learn how to deal with difficult problems could
be very beneficial... a taste of the real world! 

I was going to say that with the limited amount of time available, perhaps
the more difficult subject of requirements analysis should be taught in a
separate course.  However, it occurs to me that *I* have to do requirements
analysis under a schedule which doesn't allow much time... so learning
methods which allow it to be done quickly would also be a benefit.

- kcby@Atlanta.ncr.com
  KC Burgess Yakemovic