The SoftHum project champions the use of Humanitarian Free and Open Source Software as a foundation for computing education that can attract students into majoring in Computer Science, provide an excellent learning vehicle, and achieve social benefits. Students engaged in SoftHum team projects work in unique real-world environments along with professional developers in which the students gain traits of professional maturity, practical experience, and social responsibility within a humanitarian context.
The SoftHum project is (1) developing a process to support student success in a community-based software experience using Humanitarian Free and Open Source Software, (2) documenting an environment that supports student Open Source experiences, and (3) positioning faculty from other institutions to apply this approach to computing education.