Incorporating realistic teamwork into a small college software engineering curriculum
Ellen Walker, Oberta A. Slotterbeck · Journal of computing sciences in colleges · 2002
Software Engineering is by nature a collaborative process. Nearly all production software is designed by teams, working over a long period of time, using software tools to aid in the management of large, complex projects. In the real world, software projects continue for years, team composition changes, and a legacy library containing both documents and code provides project continuity. Unlike most teams created in a traditional classroom, typical teams have diverse backgrounds and strengths. This paper describes our efforts in building more realistic teams within a small college with traditional and non-traditional students. We describe how we have incorporated teamwork into our curriculum, as well as the challenges that teams face in our environment. Suggestions for addressing these challenges are proposed.