2014 IEEE 27th Conference on Software Engineering Education and Training - (CSEE&T)

The emergence of software engineering as a new term in the discipline of Computer Science / Computing / Informatics created significant challenges for educators. Embracing this new concept required a transition from a discipline of lone wolves and artistic heroes to a discipline of engineers focusing on product development in a planned process under constrained time, budget, and other resources but leading to a predictable quality. Some of the issues involved could be taught well in classrooms. For others, even project-based instruction provided only a weak proxy for training/learning on the job. Team issues notably show a very different face in educational settings than in the field. Various process models and organizational recommendations have been proposed since. Some of them find an easy entry into classrooms; others cannot realistically be used in student projects. Experience brought into the classroom by practitioners will lead at least to credibility. But students must also gain their own experience. They must learn how to accommodate constraints such as limited budgets, deadlines and imperfect facilities, how to work with professionals in other disciplines who are also vital parts of a project, and must understand the importance of communication throughout a software life-cycle as a whole. This includes communication with their peers, the other practitioners and managers on their project, and the stakeholders who often have distinctly different backgrounds and concerns. Providing this kind of experience is especially challenging today due to the many advances in technology - advances that affect both what we teach and how we teach it. Consequently, CSEE&T 2014 focuses on teaching collaboration, communication, teaming and other skills needed by software engineering practitioners in today's context. Innovative approaches are particularly welcome.