ISEDJ

Abstract: Software Verification and Validation (SV&V) is proven to be an effective approach to ensure software quality. Yet it is not commonly deployed in industry practices. We started a project intent on building a sustainable community skilled in SV&V. The fundamental objective is the transformation of undergraduate education in software engineering. The project involved collaborative partners in both industry and academia. Through the discussions in focus groups, the curriculum for SV&V was vigorously reviewed, checking against the best practices in industry while identifying and prioritizing gaps. The project went on to develop new active learning tools along with outcomes assessment instruments, designed to enhance delivery and retention of knowledge in SV&V, both theoretical and practical, specifically in the areas of requirements management, software reviews, configuration management and software testing. The project resulted in 44 delivery contact hours of teaching modules using these active learning tools: case studies, class exercises and case study videos. The deliverables of the project have been shared, refined and disseminated through training workshops attended by our academic and industry partners, and are now publicly available online. The paper presents the project, and sums up on how the project achieved the goals of intellectual merit and broader impact, which are the criteria based on which the supporting agency National Science Foundation evaluated the project proposal.

Keywords: Software engineering education, Software Verification and Validation, SV&V, Active Learning Tools, Intellectual Merit, Broader Impact

Download this article: ISEDJ - V17 N6 Page 12.pdf

Recommended Citation: Acharya, S., Manohar, P., Wu, P. Y. (2019). Intellectual Merit and Broader Impact: Collaborative Education toward Building a Skilled Software Verification and Validation Community . Information Systems Education Journal, 17(6) pp 12-21. http://isedj.org/2019-17/ ISSN: 1545-679X. (A preliminary version appears in The Proceedings of EDSIGCON 2018)