Mobile software engineering in mobile computing curriculum

Abstract

Recent advances in mobile technology, mobile networks and mobile computing introduced new capabilities, functionality, and applications for software systems on mobile devices. On the other hand, those sounding achievements generated reasonable concerns regarding applications of traditional software engineering methodology (concepts, methods, tools, models, programming styles) to mobile software systems. Requirements of highly mobile users, limited computing power of mobile devices, security issues in mobile Web and networks, and various types of mobile communication technology stimulate a growth of emerging area - software engineering of mobile software systems, or mobile software engineering (MSE). Faculty and graduate students at the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems at Bradley University (Peoria, Il, USA) are involved into collaborative “student-faculty” research, design and development project aimed at design and development of pioneering MSE curriculum. This project is aimed at 1) research of MSE-focused programming methodologies, 2) analysis models in MSE, 3) design and development models in MSE, including architectural models, information models, functional models, interaction models, navigation models, graphic user interface (GUI) hierarchical models, 4) analysis of integrated development environments (IDEs) for various mobile platforms (Android, Windows Phone, etc.), 5) testing strategies and techniques for mobile software systems, 6) mobile software quality management, 7) security issues of mobile software systems, and 8) MSE-focused implementation methods. This paper focuses on main MSE topics in Mobile Computing curriculum.