Software engineering curriculum issues

Abstract

A software engineering curriculum must provide the student with: a strong mathematical and theoretical base; problem solving and analysis skills; written and oral communication skills; knowledge of and experience in software engineering principles, processes, and products; knowledge of and experience in measurement, analysis, and control of software processes and products; and an understanding of applicable societal and ethical issues. To effectively address the needs of industry, software engineering education must include experience of applying software engineering principles to nontrivial problems. Here, the author describes how, in an environment of rapidly changing technology and limited educational budgets, delivering a sufficiently robust software engineering educational experience is a challenge.