future of sweed

The Distinguished Visitors Program

The Future of Software Engineering Education

Dr. Jorge L. Díaz-Herreraprofessor and president

Keuka College, New York, USAfounded in 1890

©2013 J. L. Díaz-Herrera


Introduction

The Challenges

Future Trends

Conclusions


➡ Software is critical to strategic advances

2

Yet software success rates are disproportionally low!



Software has become the bottom line for many organizations, even those who never envisioned themselves to be in the software business

Deploy new products and servicesAccommodate growing demand for new featuresConnect products in unexpected waysExploit rapidly changing technologyGain a competitive edge

3

Software is critical to strategic advances



Horror stories of colossal Sw project failures abound

US$150B/year from project failures in US, with a further US$140 billion in EU

How did we get here?Unprecedented demand

Unforeseen problemsUnqualified professionals

4

Yet software success rates are disproportionally low!



Inherent Difficultiessoftware turned out surprisingly complex and very easy to change

Accidental DifficultiesSoftware development methods andtools have become major traps!

* Fred Brooks, No Silver Bu!et, C.ACM 1987

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UnforeseenProblems


The Distinguished Visitors Program No Physical Limitations

Software is governed by real constraints, but these tend to be multidimensional and abstract

Unrealistic expectations: If I tell you that I’m going to build a 1000 meter long concrete beam suspended at one end only, will you believe me?Of course no, you know it can’t be physically done!

But, anything and everything is possible is software!

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Changeability

“People believe software to be flexible, and therefore they flex it. They flex it beyond reasonable boundaries" (J. Millar)

Inability to visualize its boundaries encourages people to change their mind more frequently Excessive requests for new features or alteration of functions introduce unnecessary and undesirable complexity

7 ©2013 J. L. Díaz-Herrera

The Distinguished Visitors Program UnforeseenProblems

Customer needs

Requirementsget lost

Designers unable to understand requirements

Design

Design corruptedas problems fixed

Developers unable toimplement design

Development

Patches slipped inwhen no one looking

Developers unable tomanage the “pieces”

Buggy softwarepassed on

TestingDevelopers unable to

fix found problems

Deployment

Wrong solutiondelivered

People can’tuse system

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Cobb’s Paradox

"We know why projects fail,we know how to prevent their failure –so why do they still fail?"

M. Cobb, Canada Treasury


The Distinguished Visitors Program Unqualified Professionals

Professionalism is absent

Education for practitioners is lacking

Project management importance is not well understood and underrated

Risk management is not applied effectively

Research is not reaching the practitioner

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√ Introduction

The Challenges

Future Trends

Conclusions


➡



We argue that the software engineering community could have a significant impact on the future of the discipline by focusing its efforts on improving the education of software engineers.

There are some bright spots There remain several key challenges

Improving SwE Practice

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SwE Challenge

Put a process in place supported by methods, techniques, & tools to facilitate creation & continued dev. of software ... A difficult task

Technical problems (Complicated artifacts)Human factors (communication problems)Economics aspects (Labor-intensiveness)Uncertain information (Incomplete theory)Unstable and unpredictable qualityConflicting project goals



The Challenges

1) make programs attractive to students

2) focus education appropriately

3) communicate industrial reality effectively

4) define curricula that are forward-looking

5) provide education for existing practitioners

6) make education more evidence-based

7) ensure educators have essential knowledge

8) raise prestige and quality of SwE research14



(1) Programs’ appeal

Making programs attractive to appeal to good students and meet societal demand

Negative stereotypes tend to focus particularly hard on SwEMany bright mathematical minds interested in computing tend to be attracted to CS not SwEThe somewhat-true perception that SwE is much about process and not technical enoughsoftware quality is very bad ...



In ALL engineering disciplines a corresponding BS degree is required.

Professional Entry

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0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Professional Level ITWorkers

IT Degrees, including:Computer & information sciences, generalComputer scienceComputer systems analysisInformation services and systemsOther computer and information sciencesComputer and systems engineeringComputer programming

Engineeringother than Computer and Systems Engineering

Natural Sciences

Mathematics

Social Sciences

Business

Other

Of professional level IT workers

who hold bachelor's or higher level

degrees,87.5%

hold degrees in science, math or engineering

Educational Background of Professional-level IT Workers


The Distinguished Visitors Program 2) Focus Education Appropriately

Understanding SwE dimensions so we can focus education appropriately

What are the different educational needs of

computer scientists, computer engineers, networking engineers, software engineers, information systems, and web site developers, games developers, real-time systems developers, etc?

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0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Professional Level ITWorkers

IT Degrees, including:Computer & information sciences, generalComputer scienceComputer systems analysisInformation services and systemsOther computer and information sciencesComputer and systems engineeringComputer programming

Engineeringother than Computer and Systems Engineering

Natural Sciences

Mathematics

Social Sciences

Business

Other

Of professional level IT workers

who hold bachelor's or higher level

degrees,87.5%

hold degrees in science, math or engineering

Educational Background of Professional-level IT Workers



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Knowledge Spectrum

Human factors

Social and economic issues

Politics & Law

Art

Architecture

Psychology,sociology

Economics

Industrialdesign

theo

ry

Science ProductionInstallation

EngineeringScience

EngineeringTechnology

EngineeringDesign

prac

tice



Human factors


Politics & Law

Art

Architecture


Economics

Industrialdesign

theo

ry


EngineeringScience


EngineeringDesign

prac

tice

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TechnicalProfessions

Discovers, creates new theories and principles

Scientist

Designs new artifacts applying engineering principles

and science

Engineer

Provides end-user solutions

Technologist



Human factors


Politics & Law

Art

Architecture


Economics

Industrialdesign

theo

ry


EngineeringScience


EngineeringDesign

prac

tice

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Computing Knowledge

• Symbols & abstractions• Computability Theory• Switching Theory• Information Theory• Algorithms and complexity

theory

• Design Process• Analysis &

Design Methods• Measurements

• Development environments• Implementation standards• V&V; Syst. Prototypes

• Syst. Admin.• Strategic planning• End-user support

• System Software• Information Storage• Computer Architecture• Computer and

Communications Systems


The Distinguished Visitors Program Computing Curricula Project (ACM/IEEE)

Computing Curricula 2005 – The Overview Report

! The computer engineering community published its CE2004 report in 2004 [CE2004].

! The CC2001 prediction of additional emerging computing disciplines has already proved correct. A

report on degree programs in information technology is under development. We anticipate that it will

be published in 2006 and thus refer to it as IT2006.

The diagram in Figure 1.1 represents the scope of what has become the Computing Curricula Series, a

continuing effort to provide guidelines and standards for computing curricula. The top-level Overview

block, CC2005, represents this report. Each of the first five sub-blocks represents a curriculum report for

one of the existing computing disciplines. The sixth sub-block is a placeholder for future reports on

additional computing disciplines as necessitated by the emergence of new computing disciplines. Online

copies of the computing curricula volumes can be found at http://www.acm.org/education/curricula.html

and http://computer.org/curriculum.

1.4. Guiding Principles

Five principles guided the development of this report.

1. The dramatic growth in the number of computing disciplines and their collective impact on society

requires that the computing disciplines articulate a shared identity. Given the importance of

computing to society, we in computing have a responsibility to help society understand what we do.

The fact that computing offers several kinds of academic programs is a major strength and an

opportunity but requires that we offer society a practical vision of our shared field, of the various

disciplines within it, and of the meaningful choices that face students, educators, and their

communities. The goal of this report is to articulate the shared identity, the separate identities of each

computing discipline, and the choices available to students, educators, and communities.

CC2001

(CS2001) Computer Science

Curriculum Volume

IS 2002

Information

Systems Curriculum

Volume

SE 2004

Software

Engineering Curriculum

Volume

CE 2004

Computer

Engineering Curriculum

Volume

IT2006

Information Technology Curriculum

Volume

CC2005

The Overview Volume

on Undergraduate

Degree Programs

in Computing

Other

curriculum volumes as needed for emerging disciplines

Figure 1.1. Structure of the Computing Curricula Series

Page 7

http://www.computer.org/education

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Currently

under

revision



22

A Computing Spectrum

Software Engineering



23

Computer Science



24

Computer Engineering



25

Information Systems



26

Information Technology


The Distinguished Visitors Program 3) Communicate Industrial Reality

How to improve the synergy and communication between industry and academia?

What industrial practices are currently not being taught? How effective are these practices? Which should be taught to undergraduates?

Industrial Advisory BoardsSchool and program levels


The Distinguished Visitors Program 4) Define Forward-looking Curricula

Defining curriculum standards that are forward-looking

How can we achieve the level of understanding of industry practice necessary to create forward-looking curricula, taking into account academic constraints?What curriculum innovations should be considered?

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November/December 2006 IEEE SOFTWARE 1 9



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Currently

under

revision



SwE 2004 structure

Software Engineering Education Knowledge (SEEK)

Guiding principles (11)

Student educational outcomes (7)

A set of general guidelines (19) to help curriculum designers and educators

Model curricula (suggestions for how courses can be grouped)

Sample course descriptions (to which suggested SEEK coverage is described)


The Distinguished Visitors Program 5) Educating Practitioners

Provide education for existing practitioners“education, rather than technology, holds the key to improvements in software project success rates,”“Education is required at all levels, from senior directors to end users.” “The levels of professionalism observed in software engineering are generally lower than those in other branches of engineering,”

The Challenges of Complex IT ProjectsA report by members of the Royal Academy of Engineering and the British Computer Society

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The Distinguished Visitors Program Certification and Licensing

Vary from country to country

Obtaining an engineering license now available to software engineers in some US states, and all Canadian Provinces

in the UK the British Computer Society and The Institution of Engineering and Technology offer Chartered status to suitably qualified and experienced members



International, IEEE-CS establishedAlignment to SWEBOKExam based on SE2004 guidelinesTest sites on all continents

Certified Software Development Professional

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http://www.computer.org/portal/web/certification/csdp



Preparation

CSDP Online CourseCSDP Workbook: A Self-Study Guide for Today's Software Professional - new publication CSDP Resource Guide -3rd edition now available Instructor Led CoursesCSDP Registered Education ProvidersCSDP Registered Preparation MaterialsSample Test QuestionsCompilation of Software Engineering TermsRecommended ReferencesCSDP Study Group Forum (yahoo: ieee-csdp)



Other Challenges

6) make education more evidence-based

7) ensure educators have essential knowledge

8) raise prestige and quality of SwE research

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√ Introduction

√ The Challenges

Future Trends

Conclusions


➡



Initially as a sub-discipline of CS

1970s: Masters programs appeared

1990’s: Explosion of progressBS degrees in US, Canada, UK, Australia, etc.Ph.D. programs separate from CS (e.g., CMU

SwE Education

Ph.D. programs MS programs BS programs

Research Disseminate Practice

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SwE Coming of Age

Cooperation ACM, IEEE, BSC, JIS, IFIP, ...

Code of Ethics

Body of Knowledge (SwEBoK)

Educational Accreditation Criteria

Separate curriculum vol. (SE2004)

BS, MS and Ph.D. programs

Licensing & Registration Legislation

Professional Examination (IEEE CSDP)39 ©2013 J. L. Díaz-Herrera


What Works

Industrial strength engineering:Cataloguing known solutions & systematic, strategic reuse via product lines

Project Management: Adherence to basic, well-established engineering management principles

Security Engineering: A rigorous engineering practice where security concerns are dealt with at each stage of the process

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The Distinguished Visitors Program Industrial Strength Engineering

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Systematic, Strategic Reuse©2013 J. L. Díaz-Herrera

The Distinguished Visitors Program Project Management:The Role of Process

Even the finest people can’t perform at their best when the process is not understood or not operating at its best.

© 2005 by Carnegie Mellon University CMMI Overview Page 9

The Role of Process

Everyone realizes the importance of having a motivated,quality work forceand the latesttechnology, but eventhe finest peoplecan’t performat their best whenthe process is notunderstood oroperatingat its best.

PEOPLE

PROCESSTECHNOLOGY

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Security Engineering

Based at individual engieer/team

PSP/TSP: Framework for disciplined production of quality software

Produce one or two orders of magnitude fewer defects than current practice.

0.02 defects/KSLOC vs. 2 defects/KSLOCIf 5% of the defects are potential security holes, with TSP there would be 1 vulnerability per MSLOC.



√ Introduction

√ The Challenges

√ Future Trends

Conclusions


➡

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Conclusions

Software Quality issues with have their root cause in human error.

These in turn arise from inadequate education

SwE Is NOT “Engineering”Software Engineering is a different kind of engineering, one that has to do with socio-technical systemsSimilarly, Computer Science is NOT Science



Conclusions

Computing is its own disciplineseparate from math, science, & engineering

Computing is its own Facultythe Computing School with its own dean & academic standards

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Computing

THE Discipline of the 21st Century



Discussion & Q/A

Gracias!!47 ©2013 J. L. Díaz-Herrera


References

[1] P. Naur & B. Randell (Eds) Software Engineering: Report on a Conference Sponsored by the NATO Science Committee (7 – 11 October 1968). 1969.

[2] Model Law (1986) prepared by the USA National Council of Engineering Examiners.

[3] IEEE Standards Collection: Software Engineering, IEEE Standard 610.12-1990, IEEE, 1993.

[4] Speed, J., Software Engineering, Licensure Exchange, Texas Board of Professional Engineers, 2 (3), June, 1998:1-16.

[5]Parnas, D. L. & M. Soltys “Basic Science for Software Developers.” Department of Computing and Software, McMaster University. Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

[6] Accreditation policy and procedure manual. Baltimore, MD: ABET, Inc., November 2000. (http://www.abet.org/images/policies.pdf)

[7] MIT Design Laboratory. http://design.mit.edu/ (Accessed July 10, 2006)

[8] Moore, J. Software Engineering Standards. IEEE-CS Press, 1998.

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References –2

[9] Bryant, A. “It’s Engineering Jim … but not as we know it.” International Conference in Software Engineering, Limerick, Ireland, 2000:78-87.

[10] SEI Report on Undergraduate Software Engineering Education (CMU/SEI-90-TR-003)

[11] McIlroy, D. “Mass produced software components.” NATO Conf. On Software Engineering. (1968):138-155.

[12] Weiss, D. M. & C. T. R. Lai. Software Product-Line Engineering. (Addison-Wesley, MA. 1999)

[13] Cohen, S., et al. Product Line Identification for ESC-Hanscom. (CMU/SEI-95-SR-024, Pittsburgh, Pa.: Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. 1995)

[14] Withey, J. Investment Analysis of Software Assets for Product Lines. (CMU/SEI-96-TR-010. Pittsburgh, Pa.: Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. 1996)



References –3

[15] Jacobson, I. “Succeeding with Objects: Reuse in Reality.” Object Magazine (July 1996):94-96.

[16] Díaz-Herrera, H. Chen and R. Alam.“An Isomorphic Mapping for SpecC in UML.” Lecture Notes in Informatics German Society of Informatics. 2002.

[17] Paulk, M. C., Curtis, B., Chrisis, M. B., and C. V. Weber. “Capability Maturity Model, Version 1.1,” IEEE Software, Vol. 10, No 4, July 1993:18-27.

[18] Humphrey, W. S. A discipline for Software Engineering. Addison-Wesley, MA: 1995

[19] Humphrey, W. S. Introduction to the Team Software Process. Addison-Wesley, MA: 2000.

[20] http://www.sei.cmu.edu/appraisal-program/profile/about.html (Accessed 4/1/2006)

[21] Brown, A. W. and K. C. Wallnau. The Current State of CBSE. IEEE Software (1998).

[22] van Solingen, Rini. Measuring the ROI of Software Process Improvement. IEEE Software, May/June 2004: 32-38.

[23] G. Böckle, et al. Calculating ROI for Software Product Lines. IEEE Software, May/June 2004: 23-31.

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