Software Engineering 2014 Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Software Engineering a volume of the Computing Curricula Series
Issues Related to Alternate Institutional Models
Download 1.43 Mb.
|
- Navigate this page:
- B.17.Coordination with Other University Curricula
- B.18.Cooperation with Other Institutions
- Programs for Associate-Degree Granting Institutions in the United States and Community Colleges in Canada
Issues Related to Alternate Institutional ModelsB.16.Articulation ProblemsArticulation problems arise when students have taken one set of courses at one institution or in one program and need to apply these to meet the requirements of a different institution and/or program. If software engineering curricula existed in isolation, there would be no articulation problems, but this is rarely the case. Software engineering programs are offered by universities with multiple colleges, schools, divisions, departments, and programs as well as by universities that cooperate and compete with one another. Some secondary schools offer university-level instruction, and students expect to receive appropriate credit and placement. Satisfactory completion of a curriculum must be certified when the student has taken classes in different areas of the university as well as at other institutions. Software engineering programs must be designed and managed to minimize articulation problems. This means that the internal and external environment at an institution must be considered when designing a curriculum. B.17.Coordination with Other University CurriculaMany of the core classes in a software engineering curriculum may be shared with programs in related disciplines. An introductory computer science course could be required for the curricula in computer science, computer engineering, and software engineering. Certain architecture courses might be part of curricula in computer science, computer engineering, software engineering, and electrical engineering. Mathematics courses could be required by programs in mathematics, computer science, software engineering, and computer engineering. A project management course may be common to programs in software engineering and management information systems. Upper-level software engineering courses could be taken as part of computer science or computer engineering programs. In most universities, there will be pressure to have courses do “double duty” whenever possible. Courses that are a part of more than one curriculum must be carefully designed. There is great pressure to include everything of significance to all of the relevant disciplines. This pressure must be resisted because it is impossible to satisfy everyone’s desires. Courses that serve two masters will inevitably have to omit topics that would be present were it not for the other master. Curriculum implementers must recognize that perfection is impossible and impractical. The minor content loss when courses are designed to be part of several curricula is more than compensated for by the experience of interacting with students with other ideas and background. Indeed, a case can be made that such experiences are so important in a software engineering curriculum that special efforts should be made to create courses common to several curricula. B.18.Cooperation with Other InstitutionsIn today’s world, students complete their university education via a variety of pathways. Many students attend just one institution, but there are substantial numbers who attend more than one. For a variety of reasons, many students begin their baccalaureate degree program at one institution and complete it at another. In so doing, students may change their career goals or declare new majors; may move from a liberal arts program to an engineering or scientific program; may satisfy interim program requirements at one institution; may engage in work-related experiences; or may be coping with financial, geographic, or personal constraints. Software engineering curricula must be designed so that these students are able to complete the program without undue delay and repetition, through recognition of comparable coursework and aligned programs. It is straightforward to grant credit for previous work (whether from another department, school, college, or university) when the content of the courses being compared is substantially identical; in other cases, significant problems can arise. Although credit should not be granted for a substitute course that does not cover the intended material, a small amount of missing content should not require that a student repeat an entire course. Faculty do not want to see a student’s progress unduly delayed because of articulation issues; therefore, the wisest criteria to use when determining transfer and placement credit are whether the student can reasonably be expected to address any content deficiencies in a timely fashion and to succeed in subsequent courses. Student interests will best be served when course equivalencies can be identified and addressed in advance via an articulation agreement. Many institutions have formal articulation agreements with institutions from which they routinely receive transfer students. For example, such agreements are frequently found in the United States between baccalaureate-degree granting institutions and the associate-degree granting institutions that send them transfer students. Other examples can be seen in the 3–2 agreements in the United States between liberal arts and engineering institutions, which allow a student to take three years at a liberal arts institution and two years at an engineering institution, receiving both bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees. When formulating articulation agreements and designing curricula, it is important to consider any accreditation requirements that may exist because the degree-granting program will have to demonstrate that all applicable accreditation criteria have been met for transfer students. The European Credit Transfer System and the Bologna Process are attempts to reduce articulation problems in Europe. Programs for Associate-Degree Granting Institutions in the United States and Community Colleges in CanadaIn the United States, as many as one-half of baccalaureate graduates initiated their studies in associate-degree granting institutions. For this reason, it is important to outline a software engineering program of study that can be initiated in the two-year college setting, specifically designed for a seamless transfer into an upper-division (years 3 and 4) program. Regardless of their skills upon entry into the two-year college, students must complete the coursework in its entirety with well-defined competency points to ensure success in the subsequent software engineering coursework at the baccalaureate level. For some students, this may require more than two years of study at the associate level. In any case, the goal is the same: to provide a program of study that prepares the student for the upper-level institution. Recently, the ACM sponsored the development of curriculum guidelines for two-year college programs that would allow transfer into a baccalaureate program in software engineering [http://www.capspace.org/pgm_inventory/programdetail.aspx?pID=40]. These guidelines are a valuable resource for programs that wish to serve this group of transfer students. Directory: cms cms -> Security Survey cms -> 1. naclo 2015 – North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad cms -> 1. naclo 2017 – North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad cms -> Chem I honors Unit 2 Notes: Numbers in Chemistry Measurement cms -> Sanderson High School ap human Geography Summer Assignment 2016 cms -> Find fantastic ousd elementary music programs cms -> Tiger Leaps Progress Update from Tenafly High School March 28, 2012 English cms -> Lorain county board of commissioners cms -> Haiti Relief – esf 15 Support Organization Situation Report # 17 1/28/10 Download 1.43 Mb. Share with your friends:
|