Abstract
Although many courses in computer science and software engineering require students to work on practical assignments, these are usually toy projects that do not come close to real professional developments. As such, recent graduates often fail to meet industry expectations when they first enter the workforce. In view of the gap between graduates’ skills and industry expectations, several institutions have resorted to integrating open-source software development as part of their programs. In this pilot study, we report on the results of the contributions of eleven students to the FIWARE open-source project as part of their final year project. Our findings suggest that both teachers and students have a positive perception towards contributing to the FIWARE open-source initiative and that students increased their knowledge of technologies valued by the industry. We also found that this kind of project requires an additional initial effort for the students as well as for the instructor to monitor their progress. Consequently, it is important that the instructors have previous experience in FIWARE, as many of the students need help during the process.
Highlights
The main aim of the study is to contribute to the existing body of knowledge with the lessons learned from this experience, contrasting them with other studies found in the literature, and providing evidence of how open-source projects, and FIWARE, can help bridge the gap between academia and industry
Four instruments were used in this study: (a) a survey to evaluate students’ perceptions on their experience developing an final year project (FYP) within FIWARE, (b) a survey to evaluate instructors’ perceptions on their experience directing an FYP within FIWARE, (c) a grade determined by the instructor, and (d) a grade determined by a committee
This article has presented a pilot study at a higher education institution in which students have contributed to an open-source project, namely the FIWARE European initiative, as part of their FYP conducted at the end of their studies
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. In view of the gap between graduates’ skills and industry expectations, several institutions have resorted to integrate open-source software development as part of undergraduate courses [11] in order to give students the opportunity to participate in real projects and gain some experience in developing code as a part of a consolidated team. FIWARE provides a rich ecosystem for students to develop their FYP by contributing to the GEs and by using them to implement their own smart applications This pilot study reports the experience of incorporating the FIWARE ecosystem in FYPs. The main aim of the study is to contribute to the existing body of knowledge with the lessons learned from this experience, contrasting them with other studies found in the literature, and providing evidence of how open-source projects, and FIWARE, can help bridge the gap between academia and industry.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
