Abstract
This chapter suggests a method for practicum on software engineering methodology course using a project-oriented approach. The chapter features basic organization principles of the approach and examples of methodical support for laboratory works based on these principles, and provides recommendations on choice and use of methodologies and technologies of software engineering for the development of distributed information systems. The experience of using this technique for teaching students studying for a Master's degree in Software Engineering in Bauman Moscow State Technical University is presented.
TopMethod
Within their professional training master students encounter some difficulties in studying the following disciplines: Distributed systems of information processing (DSIO) and Methodology of software engineering. Thus, a new, distinct from traditional, approach of training was required. A project-oriented approach described in (Zamyatina, & Mozgaleva, 2014) was chosen as such. Implementation of the project-oriented approach features shaping master students’ professional skills through completing real engineering tasks. As such, within their laboratory works on MSE, the students are tasked to perform the information systems design, which is also constitutes a part of their course paper on the DSIO discipline.
In addition, the subject area to be analyzed as well as development tools are selected for each master on the basis of his/her personal professional interests, activity areas and experience of relevant software developments. This allows the teacher to work with each master individually or in small teams of two or three students (Pressman, 2009).
The level of competence of an expert is determined by the amount of knowledge and experience gained through his/her own activities in a particular subject area. As the proposed approach to shaping professional competences of master students is based on their own professional experience and activities, such an educational approach can also be classified as a competence-oriented approach. The project-oriented approach has been further complimented by a methodological educational model, which allows to bring together the theory of the methodology of software engineering and practical experience of the master students.
The proposed method objective: To form the professional competence of master students in the process of studying the Methodology of software engineering.
To achieve this goal the following tasks are to be solved:
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To develop the skills of formalization of customer requirements;
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To develop the skills of using modern paradigms, methods and notations of software engineering for building problem domain models;
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To develop the skills of process and data structures modeling ;
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To develop the ability for team-work;
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To develop the ability of application of the international ISO standards and the Standards of the Russian Federation at each stage of software development.
The Model of the proposed methodology is shown in Figure 1.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Logical Design of DSIO: The developed a logical design of DSIO which describes the organization of the elements of the software solution, and how they interact. At this stage we analyze the created system from the point of view of the project team.
Object-Oriented Models of DSIO: The construction models of the system architecture using UML modeling language.
Static Models of DSIO: Static models that describe the structure of the system in terms of object classes and interactions between them.
SOA: Service-oriented architecture. A modular approach to software development based on the use of distributed, loose coupling model components, which have standardized interfaces to communicate according to standardized protocols.
DSIO: Distributed information system is a system in which data storage and processing are not concentrated within one computing machine, but are distributed between multiple computers, which appear to users as a single system.
Dynamic Models of DSIO: Dynamic models that describe the structure of the system and the interaction between the objects of the system.
Topology of DSIO: Describes the requirements for implementation of the subsystems in detail, defines the basic communication protocols, the architecture design of a distributed information system and the developed high-level requirements for services.
Front-End and Back-End: Terms in software engineering, which are distinguished according to the principle of shared responsibility between external representation and internal implementation, respectively. Front-end interaction interface between the user and the main software and hardware (back-end). Front-end and back-end can be distributed across one or more systems. In software architecture there may be many levels between the hardware and the end user, each of which may also have front-end and back-end. Front-end is an abstraction that provides a user interface.
Conceptual Design of the Developed System: The conceptual design allows to view the developed information system from the point of view of users.
MSE: Methodology of software engineering.