This project's development of teaching materials is based on research into the background and effectiveness of case study techniques in professional education. The case study materials include the artifacts produced in the development of a real-world, moderately complex software product such as DigitalHome artifacts. The project approach is concentrating on a complete developmental life cycle that includes planning, analysis and specification, design, construction, testing, and maintenance. The project serves as a foundation for the full development of comprehensive cases that represents a framework for the teaching of professional software systems design.
A comprehensive software case study represents a perfect opportunity to alter the current bottom-up approach of teaching software engineering, starting with writing small programs in the first year and building toward a modest-sized capstone in the final year. A case-study approach exposes students, at a very early stage, to the problems, constraints, and needs in developing realistic systems.
Two summer faculty workshops are being offered to involve other faculty in the development and use of the project materials. The workshops include consideration of assessment of the project materials and cover a variety of teaching and learning styles. They provide dissemination of the project materials and involve faculty in the solution to the problem of how to best include real-world software engineering in the classroom.
