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From: tlh@arthur.cs.purdue.edu.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: software engineering
Message-ID: <1084@arthur.cs.purdue.edu>
Date: Sun, 22-Mar-87 11:31:47 EST
Article-I.D.: arthur.1084
Posted: Sun Mar 22 11:31:47 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 25-Mar-87 00:39:41 EST
References: <340@ndsuvax.UUCP>
Sender: news@arthur.cs.purdue.edu
Organization: Department of Computer Science, Purdue University
Lines: 38
Summary: It depends...

In article <340@ndsuvax.UUCP>, ncmagel@ndsuvax.UUCP (ken magel) writes:
> 
>      At what level should students be taught software engineering principles and
> concerns?  How much should be covered in the introductory courses, how much
> should be presented to non-majors?  Should the material be a part of courses 
> whose emphasis is another topic (e.g., data structures, operating systems),
> or should there be specific courses which concentrate on design, on testing, etc.
> ?
>      When and how often should students do project assignments?

    The questions you ask have no absolute answers.  Like economists, if you
    take n CS people to decide such issues as you mentioned, you may
    come up with n+1 or more opinions.
    
    My (limited) experience has been that software engineering principles
    should be taught (obviously). But the extent of that instruction
    depends on faculty resources, and how the faculty have "designed" the
    major (and many other things as well).

    Regarding intro courses for non-majors, there seems to be a trend to
    focus on investigating sociological issues of computing rather than 
    learning to program in (gads) BASIC.

    Personally, I feel that large "Senior" projects provide students with
    adequate software engineering principles to go out and be successful.

    In addition to reading the journals for the experts' opinions on such
    matters, the Univ of Minn, Morris is modifying their curriculum and 
    you may like to contact them and compare notes.  (They are close to NDSU
    and although small they are working hard to develop a good CS major.)

    Tom
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Thomas L. Hausmann           |   
Graduate Assistant           |   tlh@mordred.cs.purdue.edu    ( ARPA )
Dept of Computer Science     |
Purdue University            |   ...!purdue!tlh   ( UUCP  )
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