Forum for Advancing Software engineering Education (FASE) Volume 12 Number 02 (Issue 145) - February 15, 2002 Note: If you have problems with the format of this document, try ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Table of Contents News Items Correction on IEEE-CS Competency Recognition Program Article IEEE-CS CDSP Materials Online, and Initial Testing Dates Set ICSE 2002 moved to Orlando NATO Software Engineering Conferences from 1968-69 are Online Calls for Participation Good Software Engineering Problems Needed Bootstrapping Research in Computer Science Education IEEE Software Special Issue - Software Engineering Education: A Focus on Practice (2nd posting) Position Openings IEEE Software, Editor in Chief University of Michigan - Dearborn Contact and General Information about FASE ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ News Items ###################################################################### Correction on IEEE-CS Competency Recognition Program Article Leonard Tripp (Chair of the IEEE-CS Professional Practices Committee) has pointed out an error in the article "IEEE Computer Society Develops Competency Recognition Program" from the September 2001 issue of FASE. The first sentence of the fourth-to-last paragraph reads "In Phase 7 Chauncey Group International took the 600 candidate exam questions and produced the beta version of the formal test. The test was then given to 311 participants." That should have said "211 participants". Thanks for finding that typo, Leonard! ###################################################################### From: Don Bagert (Professional Issues Editor) IEEE-CS CDSP Materials Online, and Initial Testing Dates Set The Certified Software Development Professional (CDSP) Program, which has been developed by the IEEE Computer Society and approved by the IEEE Board of Directors last November (see article in last month's FASE) has now posted information concerning the initial certification process, which will occur during the current calendar year. Testing cycles are set for 15 April-June 30 and 5-26 October 2002. For further information, go to http://www.computer.org/certification ###################################################################### From: Don Bagert (Professional Issues Editor) ICSE 2002 moved to Orlando The following information was recently posted at the web site for the 2002 International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE): "With regret, the ICSE 2002 organizers, in consultation with the ICSE steering committee, have decided to move ICSE 2002 from the originally planned Buenos Aires, Argentina venue to Orlando, Florida, USA. The conference dates, May 19-25, 2002, remain the same. "You are no doubt aware of the recent events in Argentina. We believe that any risk to ICSE attendees as a result of these events is much less than the impression given by news reports...[however] we must consider perceptions as well as actual risks. After polling as many as possible of those involved and the full ICSE steering committee, we have concluded that many ICSE attendees do not feel sufficiently confident to commit to traveling to Buenos Aires at this time..." For more information, go to http://www.icse-conferences.org/2002/relocation.html ###################################################################### From: Gordon Davies NATO Software Engineering Conferences from 1968-69 are Online The reports of two Science Committee Conferences on Software Engineering which took place in [1968 and 1969] are now available on the Internet. It appears that over the years the reports have become classics, and although they are out-of-print NATO still receives requests for copies. On the initiative of some of the conference participants, and in particular of Dr. Robert McClure of the University of Arizona, the reports have now been digitalised. They are available on the web site of the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/people/brian.randell/home.formal/NATO [Editor's Note: These NATO Conferences were first to use the term "software engineering" in its title, and popularized its use. Besides PDF versions of the two reports, the web site provides a wealth of additional information, including an introduction, an article on the writing of the reports, and pictures from both conferences.] ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Calls for Participation ###################################################################### From: Richard H. Thayer Not Enough Good Software Engineering Problems A major issue in teaching software engineering is the lack of problems that can be used to illustrate software engineering concepts in a university environment; problems with solutions that "scale up" from the classroom to an industrial environment when the student graduates. In other words, we need a way to teach large-scale processes (i.e. industry) in a small-scale environment (i.e. the classroom). We believe this can be done by the insertion of good case studies and technical problems, with a strong engineering influence, into the classroom curriculum. One of the most successful approaches is the classroom software development project, sometimes called "senior project." Starting with a requirement specification of limited scope, the student team is asked to produce a working software system to illustrate that they understand software engineering concepts and how to put them into use. As valuable as this approach is, it can still lack completeness in breath and width for every student. What is needed is a series of classroom length problems that can be used to illustrate and test the student knowledge of some of the more difficult parts of software engineering. A classroom length problem is a problem that be completed in one-hour or less of classroom time by the instructor at the "blackboard," or can be done by one or two students over a weekend as a "homework" assignment. Often discussed in the literature, is the need for industry experienced university teachers (with PhDs.) who can relate the classroom textbook to an industrial problem that can be solved in the classroom. It can be argued that many more "ordinary" computer science or information technology teachers with limited industrial experience could teach software engineering if they had a pool of software engineering problems with answers to draw from. Many of our software engineering textbooks, lack problems all together and instead assume that the teacher is smart enough to find problem from other sources or can development them from his or her own experiences. A few teachers can do this; however, others lack the experience necessary to originate more than one or two problems a semester, and not every semester. Even industry-experienced teachers run dry after a while. Under these circumstances, some faculty limit their homework assignments to a term paper on general subjects such as: * Explain the concept of verification and validation, * What does Fred Brooks mean by, "assigning people to a late project will just make it later?" or, * Describe a software engineering tool that you (the student) think is valuable. Some textbooks will provide problems but no answers. The instructor is expected to be smart enough or experienced enough to supply the answers themselves, or to pick the best answer from the set of student solutions. This works for some instructors but probable not the majority; and besides this adds to the instructor's workload. Examples from some current textbooks are: * In estimating the cost of a software project, determine what activities could be overlooked using bottom-up cost estimation, * Your department manager asks you to help improve the maintainability of the software that your department develops. Construct a CQM model to identify an appropriate set of measurements to help you manage the project, or * Some individuals have amazing memories, and can be relied on to remember everything they ever wrote. If this type of individual became a software programmer, would he ever have to document his program? Explain your answer. Other textbooks will assume that all the students are currently working in the software engineering industry and can supply problems from their current jobs (particularly in text books aimed at graduate students). Example of for existing textbooks are: * Consider a software project that you are currently working on and discuss the benefits that the application of configuration management has on this project. * Select a software requirements specification for your office or company. Analyze these specifications and document those requirements that violate the rules of the 4 Cs [correctness, complete, consistent, and clear. * What software process model is used in your company or project? Explain why it was selected and what benefits have been derived from its use. This approach is difficult to implement in a classroom full of international students who classically do not have and may never had a software engineering job. Drs. Richard H. Thayer and Mark J. Christensen, both former teacher of software engineering with prior industrial experience, are launching an initiative to collect good software engineering problem with their answers that are appropriate in a classroom environment that can be made available for teacher to either use to illustrate a software engineering concept or to assigned for a "take home" assignment. This initiative was originated by the IEEE Computer Science's Professional Practices Committee, Mr. Leonard L. Tripp chair. Mr. Tripp is the 1999 President of the Computer Society. Some of these problems (say one-half) would be made available with public answers and the other half would have answers limited to the teaching staffs. It is envisions that these problem and public answers would be made available on the web. Each problem would be traced to either the knowledge areas of SWEBOK or to the new Software Engineering curriculum initiative. Therefore, we are asking you, the software engineering faculty, if you could supply two or more software engineering questions and answers for the questions database. Ideally, you would provide two questions of each type; one that could be used for classroom illustration and the second one to assign for homework. We are looking for "hard core" engineering questions, typically requiring some form of engineering analysis to arrive at the solution. As a "reward," your name would be associated with each question (unless you decline). Other suitable rewards are under consideration. Submissions can be sent to either Dr. Thayer or Dr. Christensen as attachments to email messages. r.thayer@computer.org markchri@concentric.net This is a lengthy undertaking. The database will be built incrementally and shared with the teaching staffs as it is being built. Richard H. Thayer, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus in Software Engineering Department of Computer Science California State University, Sacramento Sacramento, CA 95819-6021 Home Tel: 916-481-5482 Home Fax: 916-481-8778 ###################################################################### From: Ian Utting Announcement & Call for Participation Bootstrapping Research in Computer Science Education http://depts.washington.edu/bootstrp/ "Bootstrapping" is an NSF-funded project to be run over the next two years which aims to: * develop skills (in the design, conduct and management of research in Computer Science Education) of Computer Science educators by exposing them to relevant theory and methods, and * facilitate the establishment of research relationships, contributing to a research community able to sustain a constructive discourse as well as ongoing collaboration. We are currently inviting applications from people who may be interested in participating. NSF-funded places are available for suitable participants. Full details of these, and the program as a whole, are available at: http://depts.washington.edu/bootstrp/ ###################################################################### From: Tom Hilburn Call for Articles for Special Issue of IEEE Software Software Engineering Education: A Focus on Practice This special education issue is focused on the methods and techniques for enhancing software education programs to provide graduates with the knowledge and skills generally needed for an industrial software career. The needs most commonly expressed by industry are for graduates who can predictably produce secure and high quality systems in a timely and cost effective manner. The issue will present an international perspective about the needs for educating software professionals. We would like to see at least 50% of the papers come from authors with non-U.S. experiences and views. We solicit papers that discuss the pros and cons of increasing academic emphasis on skills and practices as well as papers that describe alternative approaches for addressing the growing need for skilled and capable software engineers. Specifically, we encourage submissions that address the needs and concerns of those that hire and manage software professionals. While theoretical or opinion pieces will be considered, primary emphasis will be on papers that discuss specific education programs and experiences with these programs. Similarly, articles that discuss industrial needs for re-education, including examples of non-university programs that address such needs, or other programs needed before graduate software professionals can be effectively utilized in industry. The following are some potential topics and ideas for this special issue: * the balance between theory, technology, and practice * experience reports with professional education * software processes in the curriculum * teaching software engineering practices (e.g., project management, requirements, design, construction, etc.) * quality and security practices * team building * software engineering in beginning courses * computer science education vs. software engineering education * undergraduate vs. graduate software engineering education * non-traditional education (e.g., distance education, asynchronous learning, laboratory teaching) * innovative software engineering courses or curricula * training for the workplace Paper submissions must be sent to the special issue editors on or before April 1, 2002. Manuscripts must not exceed 5,400 words including figures and tables, which count for 200 words each. Submissions in excess of these limits may be rejected without refereeing. The articles we deem within the theme's scope will be peer-reviewed and are subject to editing for magazine style, clarity, organization, and space. We reserve the right to edit the title of all submissions. Be sure to include the name of the theme for which you are submitting a paper. Interested authors should contact the special issue editors for more information about the focus and the magazine assistant (MA) at software@computer.org for author guidelines and submission details. Guest Editors: Watts S. Humphrey Software Engineering Institute Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA 15213 Work: 941-924-4169 FAX: 941-925-1573 email: watts@sei.cmu.edu Thomas B. Hilburn Department of Computing and Mathematics Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Daytona Beach, FL 32114 work: 386-226-6889 FAX: 386-226-6678 email: hilburn@db.erau.edu ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Position Openings ###################################################################### From: Dale Strok APPLICANTS AND NOMINATIONS SOUGHT FOR EDITOR IN CHIEF OF IEEE SOFTWARE MAGAZINE The IEEE Computer Society is seeking applicants for the volunteer position of Editor in Chief of IEEE Software commencing in January 2003. The EIC position is a two-year appointment by the President of the Computer Society. Publications are one of the most tangible services that the Computer Society provides its members. Therefore, EICs play a critical role in the success of the Computer Society. SCOPE OF IEEE SOFTWARE IEEE Software, a bimonthly publication of the IEEE Computer Society, has the mission of "building the community of leading software practitioners." It is the authority on translating software engineering theory into practice. Our readers are the industry's opinion and change leaders-the software practitioners responsible for doing, managing, or teaching the development and implementation of software, as well as the engineers and managers of systems that include software. Most likely they work for mid- to large-sized corporations that develop their own software internally, or they belong to firms that provide consultants and software development services to such companies. Typical subjects covered include requirements engineering, analysis and design methods, project management, risk management, architecture, object technology, process improvement, distributed development, maintenance, rapid application development, development methodologies, reliability, reuse, metrics, security, peopleware, and technology transfer. Magazine departments include columns on requirements, design, software construction, management, and software industry updates from different countries. QUALIFICATION AND REQUIREMENTS OF CANDIDATES Key qualities of the EIC are a good understanding of industry, academic, and government needs, plus the managerial skills to manage the editorial cycle in a timely fashion. The EIC must also be able to attract respected experts to his or her editorial board and industry advisory board. Major responsibilities of the future EIC of IEEE Software include: * Actively solicit high-quality manuscripts from potential authors, and (with the help of the IEEE CS staff) assist these authors in getting their manuscripts published. Decide which manuscripts to publish. * Select a sufficient pool of competent reviewers, in cooperation with the IEEE CS publications staff and the manuscript management system, to reach conclusions and make decisions on manuscripts in a timely fashion. * Identify and appoint members to an international editorial board with the concurrence of the Publications Board. * Direct editorial board members to seek and evaluate special-issue proposals and manuscripts in specific areas, make final decisions about special issues that are proposed, and oversee the work of guest editors for special issues. * Mentor associate editors. * Interact with an international industry advisory board to strengthen the links between IEEE Software and the practitioner's world. * Plan and lead an annual joint meeting of the editorial board and industry advisory board. * Provide a clear board focus through promotion of personal vision and guidance where appropriate. * Resolve conflicts or problems as necessary. Applicants should have recognized expertise in the fields of software engineering and management, possess editorial experience, and be able to lead an active editorial board to work effectively with technical and publishing professionals. Applicants must have clear employer or institutional support for this volunteer activity for the duration of the two-year appointment, including release time as necessary and general office support. SEARCH PROCEDURE Prospective candidates are requested to provide a complete CV, a vision statement describing the candidate's vision of the future of IEEE Software, and a letter of support from the candidate's employer or institution by 15 March 2002. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit vision statements and CVs electronically to Karl Wiegers at search@processimpact.com. Letters of support from individual organizations should be sent electronically or via regular mail to Karl Wiegers at the address below. Each application shall include (but is not restricted to) the following: * applicant's editorial experience; * reasons why the applicant is specially qualified to serve as EIC; * applicant's vision statement for the magazine, indicating what IEEE Software can do to better "build the community of leading software practitioners;" * an assessment of recently published issues and special issues; * evaluations of the current columns and columnists; * key industry issues and topics to cover; and * other plans for improvement and ways to deal with specific challenges and opportunities. In addition to the chair, the search committee consists of: * Angela Burgess, Publisher of IEEE Software--aburgess@computer.org * Richard Fairley, Oregon Graduate Institute/OHSU--Dfairley@aol.com * Rangachar Kasturi, Vice-President of Publications, IEEE Computer Society--kasturi@cse.psu.edu * Dick Kemmerer, Vice-Chair of Publications, IEEE Computer Society-- kemm@cs.ucsb.edu * Willis King, President, IEEE Computer Society--w.king@computer.org * Steve McConnell, Construx Software Builders and current Editor in Chief of IEEE Software-- stevemcc@construx.com * Hausi Muller, University of Victoria, BC--hausi@csr.csc.uvic.ca * Girish Seshagiri, Advanced Information Services Inc.-- girish@advinfo.net For further information, please contact: Karl Wiegers Chair, IEEE Software EIC Search Committee Process Impact 11491 SE 119th Drive Clackamas, OR 97015-8778 Tel: +1 503 698 9620 Fax: +1 503 698 9680 search@processimpact.com [Thanks to Terry Bollinger for converting this ad to text format.] ###################################################################### From: Bruce Maxim The University of Michigan - Dearborn ASSISTANT/ASSOCIATE PROFESSORS The Department of Computer and Information Science (CIS) at the University of Michigan - Dearborn invites applications for several tenure-track positions at the rank of Assistant/Associate professor. All areas of CIS will be considered. However, preference will be given to Computer Graphics, Manufacturing Information Systems, Computer Networks, Embedded Systems, and Software Engineering. The applicant must have a Ph. D. in CIS or closely related discipline by the time of appointment and will be expected to do teaching at both undergraduate and graduate levels as well as scholarly research including sponsored research. The CIS Department offers a BS degree in Computer and Information Science, a BS degree in Software Engineering in conjunction with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, an MS degree in Computer and Information Science, an MS in Software Engineering jointly with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and an MS in Information Systems and Technology jointly with the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. The current research areas in the department include Database Systems, CAD/CAM, Distributed Systems, Information Systems, and Software Engineering. There are a number of funded research projects. Doctoral programs are under discussion in the College of Engineering and Computer Science. The University of Michigan - Dearborn is located in the South-Eastern Michigan area and offers excellent opportunities for faculty collaboration with many industries. The University of Michigan - Dearborn is dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse and pluralistic faculty committed to teaching and working in a multicultural environment, and strongly encourages applications from minorities and women. A cover letter, curriculum vitae including e-mail address, and three letters of recommendation should be sent to Dr. David Yoon, Chair Faculty Search Committee Department of Computer and Information Science University of Michigan - Dearborn Dearborn, MI 48128-1491 e-mail: dhyoon@umich.edu Internet: http://www.engin.umd.umich.edu/CIS Phone: 313-436-9146 Fax: 313-593-9967 The University of Michigan - Dearborn is an equal opportunity/affirmative employer. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Contact and General Information about FASE ###################################################################### FASE is published on the 15th of each month by the FASE staff. Article and Faculty Ad Submission Guidelines Send newsletter articles to one of the editors, preferably by category: Articles pertinent to academic education to Tom Hilburn ; corporate and government training to David Carter ; professional issues, faculty ads, and all other categories, to Don Bagert . If the article is for a FASE topic where there is a guest editor, the submission should instead be to that person, according to the schedule provided. Items must be submitted by the 8th of the month in order to be considered for inclusion in that month's issue. Also, please see the submission guidelines immediately below. FASE submission format guidelines: All submissions must be in ASCII format, and contain no more than 70 characters per line (71 including trailing blanks and the new line character). This 70-character/line format must be viewable in a text editor such as Microsoft Notepad WITHOUT using a "word wrap" facility. All characters (outside of the newline) should in the ASCII code range from 32 to 126 (i.e. "printable" in DOS text mode). All articles contain the viewpoints of their respective authors, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the FASE staff. _____ Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information Everyone that is receiving this by email is on the FASE mailing list. If you wish to leave this list, send a message to and, in the text of your message (not the subject line), write: unsubscribe fase To rejoin (or have someone else join) the FASE mailing list, write to and, in the text of your message (not the subject line), write: subscribe fase For instance, if your name is Jane Smith, write: subscribe fase Jane Smith But what if you have something that you want to share with everyone else, before the next issue? For more real-time discussion, there is the FASE-TALK discussion list. It is our hope that it will be to FASE readers what the SIGCSE.members listserv is to that group. (For those of you that don't know, SIGCSE is the ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education.) To subscribe to the FASE-TALK list, write to and, in the text of your message (not the subject line), write: subscribe fase-talk For instance, if your name is Jane Smith, write: subscribe fase-talk Jane Smith Please try to limit FASE-TALK to discussion items related to software engineering education, training and professional issues; CFPs and other such items can still be submitted to the editor for inclusion into FASE. Anyone that belongs to the FASE-TALK mailing list can post to it. As always, there is no cost for subscribing to either FASE or FASE-TALK! (Subscriptions can also be maintained through the Web via http://lyris.acs.ttu.edu. From there, click on "TTU Faculty Mailing Lists", and then either "fase" or "fase-talk", depending on which list you desire.) _____ Back issues (dating from the very first issue) can be found on the web (with each Table of Contents) at in chronological order, or in reverse order. _____ The FASE Staff: Tom Hilburn -- Academic Editor Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Department of Computing and Mathematics Daytona Beach FL 32114 USA Phone: 904-226-6889 Fax: 904-226-6678 Email: hilburn@db.erau.edu URL: http://faculty.erau.edu/hilburn/ David Carter -- Corporate/Government Editor 807 Hwy 1204 #B-2 Pineville LA 71360 Phone: 318-641-0824 Email: dacarter@bayou.com Don Bagert, P.E. -- Managing Editor and Professional Issues Editor Department of Computer Science 8th and Boston Texas Tech University Lubbock TX 79409-3104 USA Phone: 806-742-1189 Fax: 806-742-3519 Email: Don.Bagert@ttu.edu URL: http://www.cs.ttu.edu/faculty/bagert.html Laurie Werth -- Advisory Committee Taylor Hall 2.124 University of Texas at Austin Austin TX 78712 USA Phone: 512-471-9535 Fax: 512-471-8885 Email: lwerth@cs.utexas.edu Nancy Mead -- Advisory Committee Software Engineering Institute 5000 Forbes Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15213 USA Phone: 412-268-5756 Fax: 412-268-5758 Email: nrm@sei.cmu.edu