Forum for Academic Software Engineering Volume 4, Number 19, Tue Nov 15 14:37:59 CST 1994 Topics: CS curricula at Daniel Webster College Is software engineering a legitimate discipline? Automatic Assessment and Student Monitoring Quality Engineering Web Page Book Announcement: Notations for Software Design Book Announcement: Software Design Methods for Concurrent and Real-Time Systems Book Announcement: Reasoned Programming Oregon Metrics Workshop Workshop on BPR in the Public Sector A------------------------------------------------------- From: weston@av8r.dwc.edu (Peter Weston) Subject: CS curricula at Daniel Webster College Daniel Webster College has recently redesigned the curricula of its three degree programs in computing: a bachelor of science in Computer Science and Computer Systems and an associate in science in Computer Systems. Some of the key features of these programs are: Nearly identical freshman year for both majors, allowing students to postpone a commitment to a major until the sophomore year. Two semesters of discrete mathematics in the freshman year. The introduction of software engineering concepts in the freshman year. The addition of "closed laboratories" to several required courses. An open laboratory is just an expression for the conventional means used by students to complete their programming assignments. A closed laboratory is a scheduled, structured, and supervised assignment that involves the use of computing hardware, software, or instrumentation for its completion. The bachelor of science degree in Computer Science is oriented towards software engineering and conforms to the recommendations of Computing Curricula 1991, a Report of the ACM/IEEE-CS Joint Curriculum Task Force. Eight closed laboratories and seven mathematics courses provide a blend of practice and theory which will give students a strong preparation for entry level software engineering positions or for admission to graduate school. The bachelor of science degree in Computer Systems conforms to the recommendations of Information Systems, The DPMA Model Curriculum for a Four Year Undergraduate Degree. Six closed laboratories, six mathematics courses and nine management courses blend to enable the student to apply information technology to the analysis and solution of business problems. Graduates will be prepared for admission to graduate school or for entry level positions as application developers, end-user specialists, systems analysts, or network engineers. The associate in science degree in Computer Systems can be earned by completing the first two years of the corresponding bachelor degree. For further information e-mail Peter Weston, Chair of the Computer Science Division at weston@av8r.dwc.edu or call (603) 577 - 6655. A description of each curricula is available through anonymous FTP at ftp.dwc.edu:csinfo/catalog.txt. This is a working document and might change before being included in next year's catalog. For those unfamiliar with the FTP program, more explicit directions follow: at your prompt type: ftp ftp.dwc.edu for user name type: anonymous for password type: your-logon-name@your-site-name at ftp> type: cd csinfo type: get catalog.txt type: bye A------------------------------------------------------- From: frailey@mkcase1.dseg.ti.com (Dennis Frailey 952-2511) Subject: Is software engineering a legitimate discipline? [KRP: I grabbed this from comp.software-eng. Dennis is well-known to computer science and software engineering educators. He frequently speaks at ACM conferences and is an outspoken critic how we teach future software engineers.] To anyone out there who works in the field of software engineering, I need some help proving that software engineering is legitimate. I need some help compiling a comprehensive list of the following: 1) research publications in the field of software engineering 2) major research topics in the field of software engineering 3) major organizations/universities/etc doing research in software engineering 4) major sources of funding for research in the field of software engineering Why do I need this? Because I am trying to convince some colleagues at a few local universities that software engineering is a legitimate academic discipline where people are really doing research, where funding is available, and where academic respectability is not suspect. I find myself spending so much time doing this lately that I've decided to go about it in a methodical way and make a small research project out of it. There is some information to support this at SEI and other such places, but I want to get as broad a set of data as I can. The information will also be of use for the ACM/IEEE steering committee on software engineering, which is trying to define software engineering as a discipline. I am vice chair of this committee (Mario Barbaci is chair). THE PROBLEM It seems that software engineering is a term that universities are hearing over and over again these days from their customers. Some of these universities are trying to hire faculty in "software engineering", mainly because that is what a lot of the students want to study, but many have rejected active practitioners because they do not fit their idea of a "good researcher". Sometimes I think the typical university's idea of a good software engineering researcher is more along the lines of theoretical computer science with some remote connection to software development. When I protest, they respond that all they read about software engineering is applied work being done by industry or else academically "fluffy" work that would never get funded. [I find it ironic that 25 years ago when I first entered the academic world in computer science, CS was viewed as a mostly applied field whose only "research" content was in some obscure branches of mathematics. How times have changed and academic prejudices have not!] I have my own personal answers to the four questions, but if I could build up a data base of information, it would be more complete. In return, I offer to send the results to anyone who responds with legitimate information. Please reply to specific questions with the numbers indicated, so I can sort through this in an organized way. Also send your email and mailing addresses so I can send you the results. Thanks in advance for the information. Regards, Dennis J. Frailey frailey@acm.org or frailey@dseg.ti.com If you want to send anything by US mail or fax: fax: 214-952-2539 Mail: 3504 Louis Drive Plano, TX 75023 A------------------------------------------------------- From: EX14JONESR@CLUSTER.NORTH-LONDON.AC.UK Subject: Automatic Assessment and Student Monitoring I am looking for information on the use of automatic assessment and student monitoring at university level. The reason is that our class sizes at UNL are becoming so large as to be unmanageable without some form of automation. Our first level Pascal units attract between 250 and 350 students. While these are normally split into two groups for lectures and groups of 30, or so, for practical sessions, there are still problems. The major ones are: 1. How do we get feedback to the students on their work in a timely manner? 2. How do we identify those students that are falling behind or not coping with the work? I am already aware of Ceilidh, the system for presentation of program courseware and coursework, that includes automatic assessment and feedback for the student. Are there any other schemes of this sort in existance, what software do they use and are they acheiving their aims? -Ray Jones School of Computing, University of North London, Eden Grove, LONDON N7 8EA email : r.jones@unl.ac.uk A------------------------------------------------------- From: jac@cts.com (John Carstensen) Subject: Quality Engineering Web Page ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24. The Quality Wave web page at: http://www.creacon.com/Q4Q http://www.creacon.com:80/Q4Q/ It is a new server, dedicated to the promotion of the field of Quality Engineering. It is a forum for theoretical discussions and pragmatic answers. It has pointers to many quality-related Internet resources around the world and educational programs in the US. (It also holds current archives of th ISO9000 mailing list, viewable on your favorite web browser.) The following is a partial list of the links that are available from the Quality Wave; 24.1 Software Engineering Newsgroup News:comp.software-eng 24.2 CernĘs Software Process Improvement WWW page http://ptsun00.cern.ch/home2/hannell/sdpiweb/spi_welcome.html 24.3 Association for Computing Machinery WWW page http://info.acm.org 24.4 Long list of Software Engineering sites WWW page http://www.erg.abdn.ac.uk/users/brant/sre/soft-eng.html 24.5 ISO Mailing List (archive) WWW page http://www.creacon.com:80/mlists/iso9k 24.6 ISO Gopher gopher://sunny.stat-usa.gov:70/11/ntdb/iso 24.7 NIST WWW Server http://www.nist.gov:80/welcome.html NIST Quality Program http://www.nist.gov:8102/ 24.8 IEEE Gopher gopher://stdsbbs.ieee.org:/70/00/pub/ieeestds.htm also checkout IEEE SPAsystem telnet stdbss.ieee.org or telnet 140.98.1.11 offers: stds process automation system (login: guest) 24.9 ANSI WWW Server http://hsdwww.res.utc.com/ ************************************************************* John Carstensen jac@cts.com San Diego, CA 73302.1316@Compuserve.com ************************************************************* A------------------------------------------------------- From: kees@widar.research.ptt.nl (Middelburg C.A.) Subject: Book Announcement: Notations for Software Design The following book is now available in the FACIT series of Springer-Verlag London Ltd. NOTATIONS FOR SOFTWARE DESIGN by LOE M.G. FEIJS, HANS B.M. JONKERS, CORNELIS A. MIDDELBURG ISBN 3-540-19902-0 NOTATIONS FOR SOFTWARE DESIGN presents a wide variety of formal, mathematically based, textual notations for describing software systems. Together, these notations cover every stage of the software design process. Formal approaches to software development are currently being implemented by many companies. This volume explains formal specification and design using COLD-1, a wide-spectrum language which supports a variety of specification styles. COLD-1 was developed in an industrial environment in cooperation with academic research groups and partners in ESPRIT projects and is now being used in real product design. Detailed case studies are used to show the language in action. The authors also create an important link between current and future practice by covering a number of commonly-used graphical techniques, such as Venn diagrams and Petri nets. NOTATIONS FOR SOFTWARE DESIGN will enable the reader to develop a working knowledge about a wide variety of formal notations, and to use and apply these notations effectively. It will provide invaluable reading for practitioners in software development who are interested in using formal notations for producing dependable software, and will also be of interest to students of computer science. ************************************************************************ *************************************************************** * The Preface is available for browsing via WWW: * * * * Document URL: http://www.phil.ruu.nl/home/keesm/NSD.html * * * *************************************************************** Orders can be placed with the Sales Office of Springer-Verlag London Ltd either by telephone (+44 483 418822), fax (+44 483 415151) or email (postmaster@svl.co.uk). Of course, you can also order through your bookseller. >>>>The price is 38 Great-Britain Pounds<<<< -- LOE M.G. FEIJS, HANS B.M. JONKERS, CORNELIS A. MIDDELBURG Philips Research Laboratories PTT Research, The Netherlands Eindhoven, The Netherlands Utrecht University, The Netherlands A------------------------------------------------------- From: hgomaa@isse.gmu.edu (Hassan Gomaa) Subject: New book on concurrent and real-time software design Software Design Methods for Concurrent and Real-Time Systems by Hassan Gomaa George Mason University Published by Addison-Wesley Publishing Company as part of the SEI Series in Software Engineering ISBN # 52577 In this book, Gomaa outlines the characteristics of concurrent, real-time, and distributed systems, describes the concepts most important in their design, and surveys the design methods available for them. Drawing on his experience in industry, he takes two related object-oriented methods -- ADARTS (Ada-based Design Approach for Real-Time Systems) and CODARTS (COncurrent Design Approach for Real- Time Systems) -- and shows in detail how they can be applied. The author first introduces the reader to real-time and concurrency concepts, and reviews the background in software design and development needed for the balance of the book. He then describes a number of methods that can be used for real-time and concurrent system design, comparing them through application to a common problem. Methods described include Real-time Structured Analysis and Design, Jackson System Development, Parnas' Naval Research Lab/Software Cost Reduction Method, and Object-Oriented Design. For each design method treated, the author presents the concepts on which it is based, the steps used in its application, and an assessment of its effectiveness. Gomaa then focuses on ADARTS, a practical method developed by the author and proven over time, and CODARTS, which contains the author's latest ideas on software analysis and design. The final part of the book features practical case studies in which the ADARTS and CODARTS methods are demonstrated. Highlights * Provides a basic understanding of concepts and issues in concurrent system design, while surveying and comparing a range of applicable design methods. * Elaborates two object-oriented design methods for the effective design of concurrent and real-time systems, including the design of distributed applications. * Describes a practical approach for applying real- time scheduling theory to analyze the performance of real-time designs. This book is valuable for software designers and developers faced with the growing need to design interactive, concurrent, real-time, and distributed systems with state- of-the-art software design methods. About the Author Hassan Gomaa is Professor in the Department of Information and Software Systems Engineering at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia. He has over 25 years of experience in software engineering, both in industry and in academia, and has published over 60 technical papers. He has developed concurrent and real-time systems in industry, developed software design methods and applied them to real-world problems, and taught short courses on the subject for professional software engineers. A recognized authority on concurrent and real-time systems analysis and design, Dr. Gomaa received his B.Sc.(Eng.) in Electrical Engineering from University College, London, and his DIC and Ph.D. in Computer Science from Imperial College, London. A------------------------------------------------------- From: acwf@cs.city.ac.uk (Anthony Finkelstein) Subject: Book Announcement: Reasoned Programming by Krysia Broda, Susan Eisenbach, Hessam Khoshnevisan and Steve Vickers Department of Computing, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine published in Prentice Hall International Series in Computer Science October 1994 312pp ISBN 13-098831-6 Paperback #19.95 $35.95 Courses This book aimed at first or second year undergraduate students of computing, shows how to apply mathematical reasoning to the development of computer programs. The book stresses first understanding the program users' needs, using logical specifications to express these, then writing program code to achieve the objectives set out in the specifications. Features * starts with functional programming (including tutorial material for the Miranda language) for it simplicity, but also shows how it can be used as a reasoning tool for imperative programming * specifications are presented as contracts and students are taught how to develop code from their specifications * includes a self-contained part presenting the logic needed; natural deduction is presented using a schematic notation which students find straighforward to learn * packed full of student tested examples. Contents Introduction. Functions and expressions. Specifications (pre- and post-conditions). Functional programming in Miranda. Recursion and Induction. Lists. Types. Higher-order functions. Specification for Modula-2 programs. Loops (invariants). Binary chop. Quick sort. Warshall's algorithm. Tail recursion. An introduction to logic. Natural deduction. Natural deduction for predicate logic. Models. ______________________________________________________________________________ Anthony Finkelstein | TEL: 44 71 477 8000 x 3925 City University | FAX: 44 71 477 8587 Department of Computer Science | EMAIL: acwf@cs.city.ac.uk Northampton Square | London EC1V 0HB | _____________________________________________________________________________ A------------------------------------------------------- From: warren@cs.pdx.edu (Warren Harrison) Subject: Oregon Metrics Workshop Call for Participation Seventh Annual Oregon Workshop on Software Metrics June 5-7, 1995 The Seventh Annual Oregon Workshop on Software Metrics will be held June 5-7, 1995 outside of Portland Oregon. As in the past, the Workshop will again be jointly sponsored by Portland State University Center for Software Quality Research and the Oregon Center for Advanced Technology Education. The Workshop is expected to bring together researchers and practitioners from throughout the country to discuss the application and use of software metrics. In order to ensure close interaction among participants, attendance will be limited to 75. We are currently soliciting participation from both researchers & practitioners for the 1995 Workshop. If you are currently doing research in software metrics that would be of interest to practitioners, or if you are a practitioner and have some interesting, generalizable experiences with metrics to share with others, we would like to invite you to consider making a presentation at the Workshop. Suggested topics include, but are not limited to: + Using metrics to plan and schedule testing. + Applying metrics at the design phase. + Building the corporate-wide metrics database. + Novel approaches to using metrics. + Developing metric standards. + Using metrics during code reviews. We are also soliciting ideas for panel sessions and mini-tutorials To be considered, submit a 5-10 page extended abstract of your proposed presentation, panel or mini-tutorial by December 30, 1994 to: Warren Harrison The Center for Software Quality Research Department of Computer Science Portland State University PO Box 751 Portland, OR 97207-0751 a note or e-mail regarding your intent to submit before the December 30 deadline would be appreciated. For more information, contact Warren Harrison at 503-725-3108 (voice) or 503-725-3211 (FAX) or send e-mail to warren@cs.pdx.edu. Please make copies of this announcement and distribute to your colleagues. A------------------------------------------------------- From: Elliot Chikofsky Subject: Workshop on BPR in the Public Sector r Workshop on e n BUSINESS PROCESS REENGINEERING e n e IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR g r i e n i g Friday April 14, 1995 - - - - - - - - - > Salt Lake City, Utah Reengineering ----------------->> in conjunction with STC 95, the U.S. Dept of Defense joint services Software Technology Conference Sponsored by: - Reengineering Forum In cooperation with: - USAF Software Technology Support Center (STSC) - Colorado State University - College of Business - others tba -------------------------------------------------------------------- For the public sector, reengineering of business processes has never been more critical. Many agencies need to revamp their work processes to meet growing and changing needs of clients and the general public for the mid-1990s. The introduction of new technologies and the change in business practices, whether by evolution or major overhaul, is fraught with peril and expense. How can agencies best learn from each other's experiences to avoid missteps and achieve results from successful reengineering? How can information technology (IT) and software be leveraged for best results? The one-day Workshop on Business Process Reengineering in the Public Sector brings together experienced users, leading consultants, and organizations presently engaged in reengineering projects, to discuss the successes, the failures, the opportunities, and the pitfalls. The overall theme focuses on the interface issues between software reengineering and business process reengineering. The Workshop is being held in conjunction with the week-long DoD joint service Software Technology Conference (STC 95) to enable interaction between general public sector organizations, DoD agencies, and the vendor community on these important issues. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Call for Speakers Presentation proposals should include title of 30-minute talk; name, affiliation, address, phone, fax, and email address of proposed speaker; paragraph abstract of the talk; and paragraph biography of the speaker. The Workshop will use a "rolling admissions" decision process for accepting presentations, so proposals should be sent immediately by email, fax, or next-day delivery to: Prof. Jon Clark, Colorado State University, College of Business CIS Dept - B217 Clark Bldg., Fort Collins, CO 80523 USA phone 303-491-1618; fax 303-491-0596; jclark@vines.colostate.edu -------------------------------------------------------------------- General Chair: Jon Clark Colorado State University Organizing Committee: Elliot Chikofsky DMR Group Inc. Philip Newcomb Boeing Computer Services Chris Sittenauer USAF Software Technology Support Center (STSC) E------------------------------------------------------------------- FASE Volume 4 Number 19 Send newsletter articles to fase-submit@d.umn.edu or fase@d.umn.edu Send requests to add, delete, or modify a subscription to fase-request@d.umn.edu Send problem reports, returned mail, or other correspondence about this newsletter to fase-owner@d.umn.edu or kpierce@d.umn.edu You can retrieve back issues by anonymous FTP from from ricis.cl.uh.edu. You can access them through WWW at URL http://ricis.cl.uh.edu/FASE/ Keith Pierce, Editor Laurie Werth, Advisory Committee Department of Computer Science Dept. of Computer Science University of Minnesota, Duluth Taylor Hall 2.124 Duluth, MN 55812-2496 University of Texas at Austin Telephone: (218) 726-7194 Austin, Texas 78712 Fax: (218) 726-6360 Telephone: (512) 471-9535 Email: kpierce@d.umn.edu Fax: (512)471-8885 Email: lwerth@cs.utexas.edu