Abstract
In this article, we explore the prospects and concerns of integrating information technologies (IT) in software engineering education (SEE), both inside and outside the classroom. By IT we will mean the technologies for various activities related to information (such as acquisition, creation, communication, dissemination, processing, archival, retrieval, transformation, and so on), within the context of the Internet and the Web, unless specified otherwise. The rest of the article is organized as follows. We first provide the background necessary for later discussion. This is followed by the prospects and concerns of systematically integrating IT in SEE and examples of use of IT in SEE, both inside and outside the classroom. Next, challenges and directions for future research are outlined. Finally, concluding remarks are given.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Open Source Software: A single encompassing term for software that satisfies the following conditions: (1) non-time delimited, complete software whose source is publicly available for (re)distribution without cost to the user, (2) imposes minimal, non-restrictive licensing conditions, and (3) is itself either based on non-proprietary technologies or on proprietary technologies that conform to (1) and (2).
Software Process: A set of activities, methods, practices, and transformations that are used to develop and maintain software and its associated products.
Objectivism: A theory of learning that views knowledge as some entity existing independent of the mind of individuals. The goal of instruction is to communicate or transfer knowledge to learners in the most effective manner possible.
Information Technologies: Technologies for various activities related to information, such as acquisition, creation, communication, dissemination, processing, archival, retrieval, transformation, and so on, within the context of the Internet and the Web.
Software Engineering: A discipline that advocates a systematic approach of developing high-quality software on a large-scale, while taking into account the factors of sustainability and longevity, as well as, organizational constraints of time and resources.
Quality: The totality of features and characteristics of a product or a service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs.
Constructivism: A theory of learning that views learning as a process in which the learner actively constructs or builds new ideas or concepts based upon current and past knowledge. That is, learning involves constructing one’s own knowledge from one’s own experiences.