Teaching software engineering through the use of mobile application development
Gordon W. Skelton, Jacqueline Jackson, F. Chevonne Thomas Dancer · Journal of computing sciences in colleges · 2013
Mobile computing is on the brink of becoming the most widely used form of computing. In the October-November 2012 of The Economist [4] it was reported that [b]y 2017 the volume of mobile data traffic will be 21 times greater than it was in 2011. Smartphones and tablets will increase subscriptions for mobile-broadband to approximately 5 billion. With this predicted increase in users and devices, it is essential that students majoring in computer science today be prepared for the future. If not, they will be left behind. Practical software engineering requires experience in developing applications that have significant complexity and reality. Developing applications for mobile devices provides the opportunity to meet both of these requirements while introducing undergraduate and graduate students to topics and skills that can contribute to their employability. This paper describes the efforts being conducted to teach advanced software engineering concepts at Jackson State University through the use of its Innovative Mobile Application Development (iMAD) Laboratory. Topics discussed in this paper are applicable to all persons interested in establishing a similar lab and introducing students to software engineering for mobile application development.