This project focuses on developing the new skills needed of IT workers - skills in systems integration and evolution rather than system development, "services engineering" rather than the traditional "software engineering."
This project involves: 1) Organizing this material into a curriculum that communicates both the problem context and the problem solving to undergraduates; 2) Creating a four-course track in services engineering that can be incorporated in any undergraduate Computer Science program; and 3) Establishing a process of continuous improvement though community-building activities. As part of this track development, a set of benchmark or reference enterprise applications is built that are representative of the complexity found in extant enterprise systems, and serve as an exemplar enterprise system for the curricular material, as well as the core on which laboratory assignments for the above courses are based. This curriculum is rigorously assessed and validated internally, and validated externally by offering this material through an equivalent set of three short courses to industry professionals, and getting their feedback.
Intellectual merit: The process of direct engagement with industry has resulted in knowledge creation relevant to the management of complex enterprise systems and services. This experiential knowledge combined with project assets is organized and integrated into a curriculum teachable to undergraduates that move into the workforce. In addition to the curriculum creation itself, also unique is the two-fold assessment process. Because this curriculum is intended to make better practitioners, it is offered (in addition to the classroom setting) directly to industry professionals, for their assessment and evaluation of the impact to their capabilities and their on-the-job performance.
Broader impact: The immediate dissemination plan is to help incorporate this curriculum within partner institutions. The materials created also enable other institutions to create their own services engineering courses.
