An Experiential Report on Using a Software Factory in a Rural State to Promote Entrepreneurship

Abstract

Teaching software engineering and developing a sense of entrepreneurship in rural communities is challenging, particularly when students need to develop hands-on experience in the context of a realistic work environment. A Software Factory was established at Montana State University in 2014 as an innovative approach to teach entrepreneurship and software engineering. The physical space of the Software Factory emulates a real-world environment that facilitates an intimate experience for undergraduate students to interact with professional organizations such as commercial companies, startups, non-profit organizations and schools. Many computer science students located in rural states face challenges when trying to obtain professional experiences. The Software Factory provides a self-sustaining and meaningful way of bridging this gap by pairing teams of undergraduate students with viable established or startup high-tech companies. In this experiential report, we present a compilation of results from 16 collaborations over four years, the challenges faced, the lessons learned to date, and our plans for future improvements.