Soft and Hard Skills Gained by Students through Real Projects Developed at a University Software Company

Abstract

This paper shows quantitative research regarding knowledge, soft and hard skills, and experience acquired by students hired by a University Software Development Company (USDC). Additionally, suggestions regarding how to set up a USDC in an academic environment, facing real customers, are shown. There have been good and bad experiences, both will be presented in this paper. Furthermore, students' perceptions will be discussed. To identify students’ perceptions a questionnaire (survey) was applied. Its reliability was calculated through Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α = 89). Additionally, the Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated (r) in order to identify questions that should be deleted to increase the questionnaire’s reliability. Outcomes could be useful when a software engineering faculty wishes to set up a USDC.