A conceptual framework for developing a software engineering education programme

Abstract

The software industry has become one of the largest industries in the recent years. Although the concept of software development is quite well established and many structured methods have been introduced to assist project management, system development and quality control, many software projects are completed late, over-budget, inconsistent with user requirements, and of poor quality. While organisations and professional institutions are seeking ways to tackle software problems, software engineering education should bear part of the responsibility for improving the software process. In this paper, the software process is described as a human activity system which consists of three subsystems, namely a project management system, a software development system and a software quality assurance system. The systems view aims at helping us to clarify the connectivity of the elements of the software process. It results in a conceptual framework for SE programme development. In the light of the conceptual framework, the Software Engineering curriculum of Griffith University is discussed.