Wei Kian Chen
Brian R. Hall
ABSTRACT
This paper introduces a method for incorporating software engineering concepts into the computer science curriculum earlier by using a structured project in CS1. The project is designed such that it must be completed using phases of a software development cycle. This approach provides the students earlier exposure to software engineering and grounds software engineering practice throughout the curriculum. With a better understanding of and appreciation for the software development process, students are better prepared to handle future academic and professional projects. This paper presents a detailed discussion of the CS1 project and its execution, accompanied by results and feedback from a post-project survey administered to students.
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Index Terms
- Applying software engineering in CS1
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Reviews
Vladan Jovanovic
This paper presents experiences with an approach aimed at providing an early introduction to software engineering in a first-year computer science (CS) course, using a software development project. The authors provided most of the specifications and high-level design work, and organized multiple teams into a project that involved coordinated work, testing, and evaluation, as well as realistic code maintenance and integration with the code of other team members. The results are assessed by students in an opinion survey and more objectively by instructors using direct observations. In both cases, some problems and successes are noted. Specific work organization, the selected problem of library management, the technical approach used (C++ and functional decomposition), and the minimal use of software tools are highlighted as somewhat limiting the potential for the transfer of results (or generalization of conclusions). Nevertheless, because a professional software engineering orientation in introductory programming courses is an important direction, even the limited results from this initial experiment are of interest to educators in CS and related areas. Online Computing Reviews Service
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