Forum for Advancing Software engineering Education Volume 7 Number 05 - December 15, 1997 663 subscribers http://www.cs.ttu.edu/fase +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Table of Contents Letter from the Corporate and Government Training Editor This month's topic: Industry Training Summary of "Industry Report, 1997. An Overview of Employee Training in America." Summary of "How Software Personnel Learn New Skills." Next Month's Topic: SEE&T in 1998 - YOUR INPUT REQUESTED!!! Upcoming Topics Features Trainers' Bookshelf Planetary Challenge Update Article on Distance Education: "Anytime, Anyplace: No Significant Difference" News Items Texas State Board of Professional Engineers Licensing Committee Considers Software Engineering SEI Working Group on SEE&T, November 1997 Meeting Reports Industry/University Collaborations Team Education and Professionalism Team Links to Educational Development Resources Prof@T Draft Deliverables Software Engineering Reviewers Needed for IEEE Transactions on Education Computer Science Education journal is Revived Calls for Participation ESCOM 98 JCKBSE'98 Conference Announcements The 11th Conference on Software Engineering Education and Training (CSEE&T 98) A CSEE&T Workshop - Software Education 2000: Computing at the Crossroads Closing the Gap, A National Forum on the Information Technology Skills Shortage Faculty Positions Miami University (Ohio) Carnegie Mellon University Monmouth University (two positions) Feedback on Ethics Contact and General Information about FASE +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Letter from the Corporate and Government Training Editor As I write this, I'm concluding my Thanksgiving week vacation here in Washington, D.C., USA. I'm still in the Thanksgiving mode of counting my blessings. One of my professional blessings is that at my organization, an information technology services firm with 3,900 employees, we've been very busy this past year providing software process management training to our own software engineering professionals and to many of our customers around the U.S. My original training plan in 1994 identified an audience of 250 software engineering professionals. The total number of participants now exceeds 1,000, with more than 400 in 1997 alone. The audience for software process management is 400% larger than we originally anticipated. Besides the growth in audience size, we've also changed our original delivery format from centralized to decentralized. We spent most of this year delivering training at project sites, in every conceivable time format to fit our professionals' needs. Like the Friday night Peer Reviews class in Salt Lake City and the infamous Saturday Software Project Planning classes in Rockville, MD, to name a few. And, this year, we have 3 university collaborations in place: with University of Maryland University College, Boston University's Corporate Education Center, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Division of Continuing Education. Each of our partners is finding opportunities to deliver CDSI's practitioner-based Capability Maturity ModelSM process training to software engineering professionals in their geographic areas. To summarize the changes we're experiencing: -Larger than anticipated audience. -Non-traditional delivery times. -Business partnerships with universities. I wondered if our experience is an anomaly or part of a trend. I decided to do a quick check of the training journals (remember, I'm still technically on vacation). I've summarized results below. Email me your observations at Kathy.Beckman.cdsi.com, and we'll publish them next month. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This month's topic: Industry Training ####################################################################### "Industry Report, 1997. An Overview of Employee Training in America." Training Magazine, October, 1997. Lakewood Publications. Article summary by: Kathy Beckman This annual report covers all types of employee training. Although not focused on software engineering training specifically, its findings are helpful for discerning trends that affect software engineering training. Overall, the training picture for professional employees and managers in the U.S. is very bright. Finding 1. Information Technology (IT) Training IT training (instruction pertaining to computers and computer systems) now constitutes 29% of all formal training provided by U.S. organizations. Most courses (76%) are still instructor-led, but technology-delivered instruction (computer-based training, videoconferencing, World Wide Web) is gaining in popularity. In 1996, 17% of IT training was technology-delivered; in 1997, that number rose to 24%. Finding 2. General Types of Training Provided by U.S. Organizations The top 3 types of training provided are: Basic computer skills-94% of organizations Management skills-92% of organizations Technical skills-91% of organizations Finding 3. Training Budgets-Who Benefits? Of the estimated $58.6 billion budgeted for employee training, professionals will receive $15 billion, or 26%; managers will receive $14.5 billion, or 25%. Translated to hours, professionals receive an average of 33 hours of training per year, and managers receive 29-31 hours per year, depending on their management level. Finding 4. Training Budgets-Total Spending Total spending for employee training has increased 26% since 1992. Finding 5. Outsourcing Training The market for training-related goods and services provided from outside sources has increased 32% in the last 2 years and now totals $13.6 billion. 38% of all formal training courses are now designed and developed by outside contractors, and 32% are delivered by outside contractors. Editor's Note: I would appreciate references to similar surveys from other countries so that I could compare them. Thank you. ####################################################################### "How Software Personnel Learn New Skills" Article summary by: Kathy Beckman In his article, "How Software Personnel Learn New Skills," published in Computer, Vol. 28, No. 12, December 1995, Capers Jones identifies 10 "learning channels" that software professionals need to access if they are to keep up to date. They are: In-house education Commercial education Vendor education for new vendor products University education Conferences Self-study (print media) Self-study (CD-ROM) On-line education (intranets or Internet) Professional books Software journals. Note that these channels represent "training" in its broadest sense. Jones goes on to say that "No single educational channel is sufficient by itself." His research indicates that software organizations which fund "training" combining these learning channels for about 5% of an employee's work year experienced enhanced productivity and software performance. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ By: Don Bagert (Academic/Misc Editor) Next Month's Topic: Predictions for SEE&T in 1998 - YOUR INPUT REQUESTED!!! The previously-announced topic of Distance Education for the January 1998 issue has been indefinitely postponed. In its place, the subject will be "Predictions for 1998", and consist of two questions for you: 1. What do you forsee for the software engineering education and training fields in 1998? 2. What are your "New Year's Resolutions" for your personal involvement for software engineering education and training for 1998? (Or, to put it in another way for those cultures that don't have the tradition of New Year's resolutions, "What would you like to do in software engineering education and training in 1998 that you were not able to this past year?" We really want to hear from you on this!! Send your answers to Don Bagert (bagert@ttu.edu) by 8 January 1998. Thanks! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ By: Don Bagert (Academic/Misc Editor) Upcoming topics The topic for February 1998 will be Personal Software Process (PSP) Education and Training. Tom Hilburn of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will be the Guest Editor. Please contact Tom at hilburn@db.erau.edu if you are interested in contributing. The March 1998 topic will be software education across the computing field. This will be a follow-up to a CSEE&T workshop on the same subject (see related article under CSEE&T 98). Please contact Don Bagert (bagert@ttu.edu) if interested in this topic. Here are some of the topics planned for future issues: * Distance Learning * Software engineering education and training outside of the U.S. * Object Technology Education and Training * Software Metrics Education * Web Pages * Student Team Projects One more note: the 100th issue of FASE will be occurring in 1998. More info next month on this milestone issue! Please send any suggestions for future topics to me at bagert@ttu.edu. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Features ####################################################################### From: Kathy Beckman Trainers' Bookshelf The Fall 1997 Book Catalog from American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) contains several titles that may be of interest to software engineering training professionals. Several that struck my eye were: 1. Evaluating the Impact of Training, by Scott B. Parry 2. Return on Investment in Training and Performance Improvement, by Jack J. Phillips 3. Handbook of Training Evaluation and Measurement Methods, also by Jack J. Phillips 4. Terrific Training Materials: High Impact Graphic Designs, by Darlene Frank 5. Performance Consulting: Moving Beyond Training, by Dana Gaines Robinson and James C. Robinson 6. The Educational Technology Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide-- Process and Products for Learning, by Steven Hackbarth 7. Distance Learning: A Step-by-Step Guide for Trainers, by Karen Mantyla and J. Richard Gividen For more information, contact ASTD at 800-628-2783. ####################################################################### From: Kathy Beckman Planetary Challenge We're off to a great start with our challenge to hear from each of the more than 40 countries where our FASE subscribers reside. Thanks to the following subscribers for their greetings and contributions: Val Veraart and Sid Wright, Australia [November, 1997] Didar Zowghi, Australia [November, 1997] R. Seinauskas, Lithuania [November, 1997] But...where are the rest of you?? Please let me hear from you. Email me your contact information and Internet site addresses so I can share them with our 664 subscribers around the planet. Even better, write up your software engineering education and training experiences (successes or near misses), as Val and Sid did last month. ####################################################################### Anytime, Anyplace: No Significant Difference Pete Knoke University of Alaska Fairbanks "Anytime, Anyplace" seems to be the marching song of distance education these days. "No Significant Difference" is the title of a frequently cited study whose results indicate that there is no significant difference in quality of a course offered by distance education versus a course offered by traditional means. (I haven't read this study yet). Over the past few years I've taught three full semester courses by distance delivery, two using Interactive Digital Graphics (IDG) to teach computer literacy to multiple sites simulataneously in the Alaska Bush and one using videoconferencing between Fairbanks and Anchorage Alaska. The latter was a graduate level course on Software Process Improvement. For all of these I had essentially no training and no significant institutional support. The computer literacy courses I had taught previously via traditional means, and the Software Process Improvement course was new. Altogether, about 120 hours of distance delivery experience with these interactive vehicles. Not a tremendous amount, I admit. But that is the experience basis for the brief opinions and pieces of data which follow. I believe my experience morsel deals with the "anyplace" part of the title, but not the "anytime" (unless you count the email components in that category). In my opinion, the "No Significant Difference" assessment was valid for the computer literacy courses, and I believe that the distance students for this course may even have learned more than their traditional counterparts. The Software Process Improvement course I've since taught twice by traditional means. I'm inclined to believe that the "No Significant Difference" descriptor applies there also. Unfortunately I can't support these opinions with any solid statistical data. I had quite a heavy workload (much heavier than traditional) to offer these three distance courses. However, some of it was due to my lack of experience with distance delivery and with the apparatus, and some was due to the absence of institutional support (I had to register students, deliver materials to students, etc.). After doing those distance deliveries (my main reasons were curiosity and a spirit of adventure), I've tried to keep an eye on developments in the distace delivery field. Thus, on October 15-17 I found myself in Jackson Hole, Wyoming to attend the 9th Annual Meeting of the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications (the Governors of large and lightly populated states of the US West formed this cooperative and support it quite strongly. The states involved are Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona, Alaska, etc.). Here are a few observations and/or things from the conference that surprised me. * There were a lot of enthusiastic teachers there, almost evangelists. * Several of the speakers were former students who had obtained their their degrees via distance education. If anything, they were more enthusiastic than the teachers. Typically, they claimed that, without distance education, they would have been unable to obtain their degrees. * There were a number of administrators present, but they seemed to keep a fairly low profile (maybe I tended to avoid certain sessions). * The community colleges (2 year schools) seemed to be the most active in the distance education field. * A speaker from the University of Phoenix (which is 100% distance education) claimed that school is currently the largest university in America. * Most of the distance-education-oriented educational policies, the absence of which added substantially to my workload in my personal experiences, have been developed and reasonably proven out within the distance education community. * The academic unions (AAUP, etc) conducted one session. The AAUP had some concerns about distance education, but I couldn't tell whether their scenarios of concern were real or purely hypothetical. Here is one dreaded scenario: - School requires that all professors must teach videoconferencing courses if requested (whether they like it or not). - All class lectures are videotaped (whether the professor likes it or not). - All videos become the property of the school. - After video sets are completed, the school fires the professor and offers the course subsequently with the videos plus (low cost) teaching assistants Summary/Conclusions? I think the distance education snowball is getting bigger fast. Supporters include teachers and students as well as administrators. The argument that distance education courses and programs are of lower quality than their traditional equivalents may be difficult to support. The software engineering education domain is quite well suited for distance education. Moreover, software engineering professors should have little difficulty adjusting to the new technologies (compared to professors in non-technical fields, for example). Telecommunications technologies needed to support effective distance distance education are continually improving. Essential and effective distance education policies exist and are being tested and improved. Perceived distance education costs are often higher than traditional education costs, often because distance education courses have relatively high communication costs. But, these may be shrinking in future because of new technology and increased competition in the communications industry. Also, I think the perceived higher distance education costs might be partly the result of cost accounting anomalies. Recommendations? I think software engineering educators should keep a close eye on distance education developments. Maybe, try out distance delivery personally if a suitable opportunity arises. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ News Items ####################################################################### Texas State Board of Professional Engineers Licensing Committee Considers Software Engineering From: Dennis J. Frailey (frailey@dseg.ti.com) Subj: Trip Report, Texas Board of Professional Engineers, Licensing Committee On Tuesday 11/18/97 the Licensing Committee of the Texas Board of Professional Engineers convened a panel to discuss the subject of professional registration of software engineers. The five member panel consists of the following: Donald J. Bagert, Texas Tech University, Associate Professor of Computer Science Gerald Burnham, UT Dallas, Associate Dean of Engineering Dennis Frailey, Raytheon TI Systems, Senior Software Technologist and Southern Methodist University, Adjunct Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Otto M Friedrich, Jr., U. of Texas at Austin, Adjunct Professor of Electrical Engineering David Rentschler, Tandem Computers, Quality Engineering Frailey is also co-chair of the IEEE-Computer Society/ACM Steering Committee to Establish Software Engineering as a Profession. The committee is responding to requests from the Texas State Legislature to "protect the public from incompetent individuals claiming to be able to engineer software systems." They cited such concerns as the "22 year old college graduate claiming to be an experienced software engineer", and "systems that do not accomplish what their vendors claimed they could do". The panel was able to show them that the scope of software engineering is so broad that they need to limit their attention, and the consensus of the group was that the focus should be "engineered systems containing software that can impact the health and safety of the public." It was explained that, if they broadened this to include "welfare" of the public, it would greatly expand the scope and that they should start by focusing on something smaller. Dennis Frailey was the opening speaker, and he spent some time communicating the scope of the field, its history, some of the problems associated with this immature discipline, and some of the challenges that would face any entity wanting to license software engineers. Nevertheless, the Licensing Committee communicated a desire to "get something started". They were quite willing to cooperate with other groups, such as the IEEE-CS/ACM Steering Committee, but were not willing to wait and let things develop slowly. One member made the comment that "we already license system engineers, and they are less well defined than software engineers." The panel communicated that software engineering is not properly viewed as a "specialization within electrical engineering" but, rather, as a new discipline with its own foundations and unique body of knowledge. (System engineering is currently licensed as a specialty within electrical engineering). The licensing committee expressed high regard for the draft code of ethics for software engineers generated by the IEEE/ACM committee. This was one of many exhibits they had received from the panelists in advance. They also expressed a desire to "work with any national efforts" that might help them accomplish their objectives. The panel was asked to form an Advisory Committee on Software Engineering for the State Board, with their initial task being to come up with a one sentence definition of software engineering that would be "concrete enough to use for disciplinary purposes." The baseline definition agreed upon at the meeting, for refinement by the advisory committee, is: "analysis, design, implementation and validation of software as part of an engineered system" Frailey was asked to arrange a meeting with the IEEE-CS/ACM steering committee to discuss a strategy for teaming with other state licensing boards and other interested parties in seeking funding to develop a body of knowledge suitable for being the basis of an examination. All panelists were asked to determine if their respective organizations would be willing to sponsor such an activity or participate in it if funded elsewhere. The panel also communicated another important need: educating existing engineers of all varieties in the key facts about software, so they "know when they don't know" and can enlist the aid of knowledgeable software engineers. This dovetails with a current initiative of the board that, if approved by the legislature, would require all registered professional engineers in Texas to undertake continuing education in order to retain their licenses. An interesting twist that has significant ramifications is that, because of a portion of the NAFTA agreement regarding recognition of Canadian and Mexican expertise, there is a new option for professional registration. Someone with 16 years of practice can petition the committee for licensing without taking an examination. One of the questions asked of the panel was how the committee should evaluate candidates in software engineering, were such a designation approved. The panel felt that this represented a genuine challenge, and some were dismayed that one of the committee members did not think it very difficult to perform such an evaluation. The meeting was very educational for all concerned. Regards, Dennis J. Frailey Postcript by Don Bagert: According to John Speed, the Executive Director of the State Board, the full board voted the next day not to act on software engineering, but to instead wait for more information from the Advisory Committee on Software Engineering (which is continuing to work on that one-sentence definition) and "several other interested parties". He indicated that it would likely be on the agenda of the State Board at their February 18 meeting. Also, the Board's Education Advisory Committee (composed of the deans of engineering at Texas universities) will be meeting on January 15, software engineering will be one of the topics on the agenda, and the Software Engineering Advisory Committee has been invited to attend. The current version of the one-sentence definition of software engineering, as of 10 December 1997, is: "Software engineering is the analysis, design, implementation and assurance of software as a part of a system produced by the practice of professional engineering." This is just a draft, and suggestions are recommended - please send them to Dennis Frailey (frailey@dseg.ti.com) or Don Bagert (bagert@ttu.edu). ####################################################################### SEI Working Group on Software Engineering Education and Training, Industry/University Collaborations Team, Notes from November, 1997 Meeting, Pittsburgh, PA. Team members are: Kathy Beckman, Computer Data Systems, Inc. Jack Crowe, Strategic Occupation Alliance Resources (SOAR) Nancy Mead, SEI George O`Mary, The Boeing Company Sheneui Sloan, California State University, Long Beach Frances Van Scoy, West Virginia University Hope Walker, Lockheed Martin This team focuses on publishing data on industry/university collaborations for software engineering education and training, identifying collaboration best practices, and fostering awareness and growth of collaborations. Action Item Report: COMPLETED. The Directory of Industry and University Collaborations with a Focus on Software Engineering Education and Training, Version 6, was published in November 1997 as SEI Special Report CMU/SEI-97-SR-018. It is available online at: http://www.sei.cmu.edu/products/publications/97.reports/97sr018 IN PROGRESS: 1. Survey 24 collaborations listed in SEI Directory for best practices. November/December, 1997 2. Conduct followup phone interviews and gather additional data from survey participants January, 1998 1. Prepare preliminary summary of survey results for CSEE&T Conference, Atlanta, GA, February, 1998 2. Coordinate a Best Practices Exchange among industry and university partners at CSEE&T Conference, Atlanta, GA, February, 1998 3. Publish results on collaboration benefits and best practices in 1998 as an SEI Special Report and in industry magazines like Training Magazine, Fortune (1 paragraph), CIO FUTURE: 1. Propose a panel on collaborations to 1999 SIGSCE conference (based on results from Best Practices Exchange at CSEE&T 1998). ####################################################################### From: Tom Hilburn (HilburnT@cts.db.erau.edu) Working Group on Software Engineering Education and Training November 3-4, 1997 Team 2 of the Working Group is concerned with study, discussion, activities and proposals concerning two issues: - the content of the software engineering profession - software engineering curriculum design and development Participants: Don Bagert, Texas Tech University Tom Hilburn, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Susan Mengel, Texas Tech University Dale Oexmann, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology The primary activity of Team 2 for the November meeting was discussion and work related to identifying and describing a set of guidelines for developing software engineering courses and curricula. Although there have been curriculum guides produced for various computing curricula (e.g., ACM-IEEE 91 for computer science curricula and CMU/SEI-91-TR-2 for graduate software engineering curricula), there is no existing document that provides comprehensive information and direction for the development of undergraduate programs in software engineering. The team members felt that such a document would be useful in encouraging and enhancing the development of undergraduate software engineering education. We thought that a good beginning point for such work would be to develop a "draft" curriculum model for an undergraduate program in software engineering. On November 3rd and 4th the team worked on this model and a partial draft was completed. We established the purpose, scope and rationale for the model and began identifying and describing the educational components of this model. We plan to continue this work by email and teleconferencing until a first draft is complete. The following process was established: - prepare a draft of a software engineering curriculum guide - disseminate the draft, seeking comments and suggestions - write a curriculum guidelines document (based on review comments and other input) - present and publish the guidelines Also, the following timeline for the next year was established: 3-4 Nov 1997 formulation of partial draft at Working Group meeting 18 Nov 1997 partial draft sent out for review (limited distribution) 16 Jan 1998 complete draft sent out for review (limited distribution) 21-22 Feb 1998 revisions to draft made at Working Group meeting 23 Feb 1998 draft made available on the WWW for public review 24-26 Feb 1998 draft presented at CSEET98 and ACM-SIGCSE98 (both in Atlanta) 1 May 1998 guidelines for Software Education v1.0 released 18-21 Aug 1998 present guidelines at the Conference on the Teaching of Computing in Dublin, Ireland (projected) 4-7 Nov 1998 present guidelines at the Frontiers in Education Conference in Tempe, Arizona (projected) It is anticipated that this may be an iterative effort and more than one year will be required to complete the project. Comments and suggestions on this activity are welcome. ####################################################################### From: Graham Alsop (alsop@lgu.ac.uk) Dear all Since putting together the lists of Journals in DeLiberations (which have been very frequently visited) we have collated a list of links to educational development resources catalogued by discipline. The list currently includes Higher Education Funding Council supported initiatives (Fund for the Development of Teaching and Learning Projects, Computers in Teaching Initiative Centres, Teaching and Learning Technology Programme Projects, Joint Information Systems Committee Technology Applications Programme Projects etc.) and Department for Education and Employment funded work. We are aware that these lists are biased towards United Kingdom sites and would welcome suggestions for links to work outside of the U.K. We see this as the first stage in a building more comprehensive listings. So if you know of any projects/sites which are omitted from our list please do email me (Graham Alsop) details at figit@lgu.ac.uk or use our form. The lists can be found under 'Other Educational Sites' at: http://www.lgu.ac.uk/deliberations/ We hope you will find these links useful. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- HOW ARE WE DOING? On another note we would be extremely grateful for some feedback on DeLiberations - Please help us to make DeLiberations a more useful resource. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Please state three things which you like about the site and should be kept. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Please list three things that could be improved, and how they can be improved: ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Any suggestions of ways of communicating, conversing and discussing that DeLiberations should pursue in the future: ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Any other comments: ----------------------------------------------------------------------- What term best describes you: academic subject specialist librarian educational developer computing staff student other ----------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE RETURN THIS INFORMATION TO figit@lgu.ac.uk Thanks Graham Alsop ============= Graham Alsop DeLiberations A Web Site for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education London Guildhall University Educational and Staff Development Calcutta House, Old Castle Street, London E1 7NT, UK Tel: 0171 320 1104, Fax: 0171 320 1096 http://www.lgu.ac.uk/deliberations/ ============= ####################################################################### From: Mike Lockyer (m.a.lockyear@tees.ac.uk) Prof@T is funded by HEFCEs Fund for the Development of Teaching and Learning (FDTL). It is run by the University of Teesside and is one of only four such projects in Computer Science. It is a 3-year project to disseminate excellent practice through videos and CD-ROMs in each of 5 subject areas: Group Projects (particularly negotiated learning contracts) Live Projects (i.e. industrially based projects) Industrial Placements Student Support and Monitoring Professional Skills The project is now one year old and has just produced its first draft deliverables: videos in live projects and industrial placements CD-ROM (on a floppy) on group projects We are anxious to disseminate these draft materials as widely as possible to obtain feedback. If you would like to receive any of the draft products now available please contact us by any of the means shown below. The draft materials are also being disseminated by a series of regional workshops(Derby - 28th Nov. London 4th Dec, Bristol and Teesside in the new year) and a national workshop. For more information about these, visit our web site at http://www-scm.tees.ac.uk/prof/ The national workshop in April is being organised in conjunction with two of the other three FDTL projects in Computer Science, and further details are available at http://www.dcs.shef.ac.uk/~wmlh/FDTL-AoP.html As well as disseminating good practice at Teesside we are also keen to distil and disseminate good practice in other institutions in the 5 subject areas in which we are working. If you are interested in getting involved in the project in this way, please contact us. Best wishes Mike ================================= Professor Mike Lockyer School of Computing and Mathematics University of Teesside Middlesbrough TS1 3BA, UK e-mail m.a.lockyer@tees.ac.uk tel : 01642 342665 fax : 01642 230527 ================================= ####################################################################### From: Susan A. Mengel (mengel@ttu.edu) Please let me know if you would like to be a reviewer for the IEEE Transactions on Education in the area of Software Engineering. If so, fill out the form below and e-mail it back to me at mengel@ttu.edu. Your help will be greatly appreciated. Industry, college, and K12 professionals interested in software engineering education are welcome. Please forward this form to interested colleagues. ****IEEE Transactions on Education Reviewer Form for Software Engineering Name: Institution: Department: Address: City: State: Zip Code: Country: Phone Number: Fax Number: E-Mail: WWW URL: *Place an X by those software engineering areas in which you would like to review papers: CASE Tools: Design Methods: Formal Methods: High Integrity Software Assurance: Human Factors: Integration: Maintenance: Organizational Processes (Capability Maturity Model, ISO 9000, etc.): Personal Software Process: Project Management: Requirements Engineering: Software Architectures: Software Construction: Software Lifecycle Processes: Software Metrics: Software Quality Assurance: Team Software Process: Testing: Other (please describe): *Place an X by those application areas in which you would like to review papers: Algorithm Analysis: Assembly Programming: Compilers: Computer Architecture: Databases: Embedded Systems: Graphics: Hardware-Software Co-Design: High Performance Computing: History of Computing: Information Systems: Intelligent Systems: Multi-Media Systems: Numerical Analysis: Operating Systems: Programming Languages: Real-Time Systems: Simulation: Systems-Level Programming: Theory of Computation: Other (please describe): *Place an X by those educational items in which you would like to review papers: Accreditation Issues: Doctoral Level Programs: Freshman-Sophomore Level College Courses: Graduate-Level Courses: Industry-College Partnerships: Junior-Senior Level College Courses: Kindergarten through High School: Master's Level Programs: Professional Registration: Project Capstone Courses: Undergraduate Level Programs: Other (please describe): *Please also send a short (or long) resume with education, work experience, no more than 10 major publications, no more than 10 major grants, no more than 10 major projects, and educational research interests, either by e-mail to mengel@ttu.edu or regular mail to: Susan Mengel Texas Tech University Computer Science Box 43104 Lubbock, TX 79409-3104 Phone: (806) 742-3527 Fax: (806) 742-3519 E-Mail: mengel@ttu.edu ####################################################################### From: Don Bagert via Renee McCauley (McCauley@usl.edu) Renee McCauley reports that the journal Computer Science Education is being revived by a European publisher. The journal was published by Ablex until the company's bankruptcy a year ago. Keith Barker of the University of Connecticut, who was the most recent editor of CSE under Ablex, will co-edit with an editor from Europe. The journal will be published four times per year. FASE will publish more information on this journal's revival as it is received. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Calls for Participation ####################################################################### From: Adrian Cowderoy (ACowderoy@aol.com) Call for Papers: E S C O M - E N C R E S S - 9 8 Rome, 27-29 May 1998 Conference theme: "Project Control for 2000 and Beyond" This unique event combines the 9th ESCOM international conference and the 4th conference of the European Network of Clubs for REliability and Safety of Software. It will focus on the forefront of practice in software project control, reliability, safety and the measurement and human factors needed to support these activities. The conference will provide a unique mixture of practitioners, intellectuals and consultants. The conference will be held in the Sheraton Golf Hotel, Rome, with easy access to the airport and motorways. Attendance will be limited to 150 people, in order to facilitate networking. (Early registration is advisable.) On May 26 there will be tutorials: Dr. Barry Boehm will teach the new COCOMO-2, and other world-class experts will talk on reliability and metrics. An IFPUG certification exam will be held in English and Italian. Please visit our web site at: http://members.aol.com/acowderoy/escomencress98.htm CALL FOR PAPERS Deadline for Abstracts: 1 January 1998 For FASE readers only - in case of problem, please contact R.J.Kusters@tm.tue.nl("Rob Kusters") Papers are invited on metrics programs, measurement experiences, cost estimation, project sizing, quality assessment, process measurement, benchmarking, risk management and quantitative management methods, including methods to handle the Euro and year 2000 challenges. Also software testing, safety critical systems, reliability and safety assessment, risk analysis, fault and failure management, total quality management, human factors for safety and quality, use of formal methods, applications and experiences and security issues. To submit a paper, please send a 1-page abstract, preferably by email without text formatting, to: Dr. Rob J. Kusters, Faculty of Technology Management, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Phone +31(0) 40 247 4076/2290, fax +31(0) 40 243 2612, email R.J.Kusters@tm.tue.nl Announcement of programme committee decision: 1 February 1998. CONFERENCE ADMINISTRATION General Chairs: Sandro Bologna (ENEA, Italy) and Adrian Cowderoy (AC\Europe & ESCOM, UK) Programme Chair: Fred J. Heemstra (Open University, NL) Associate Programme Chairs: Rob. J. Kusters (Eindhoven Un. of Tech., NL) Jos Trienekens (Eindhoven Un. of Tech., NL) European Co-ordinator: Loredana Mancini (O. Group, Italy) International Co-ordinator: David Longstreet (Longstreet Consulting, USA) Programme Committee: Ole Andersen (DELTA, Denmark) Tom Anderson (CSR - University of Newcastle, UK) Sandro Bologna (ENEA, Italy) Norman Fenton (CSR, UK) Dimitris Gritzalis (University of the Aegean, Greece) Jan Jacobson (SP, Sweden) John Jenkins (City University, UK) Ross Jeffrey (University of New South Wales, Australia) Barbara Kitchenham (Keele University, UK) Shari Lawrence Pfleeger (Howard University, USA) David Longstreet (Longstreet Consulting, USA) Loredana Mancini (O. Group, Italy) Katrina Maxwell (Datamax, France) Roberto Meli (Data Processing Organisation, Italy) Peter Mellor (CSR, UK) Domenico Natale (SOGEI, Italy) Serge Oligny (Forestry Alliance, Canada) Mario Alberto Rela (University of Coimbram, Portugal) Alain Rouge (Objectif Technologie, France) Eberhard Rudolph (Bremerhaven Hochschule, Germany) Francesca Saglietti (ISTec, Germany) Erwin Schoitsch (Forschungszentrum Seibersdorf, Austria) Martin Shepperd (Bournemouth University, UK) Torbjørn Skramstad (Det Norske Veritas, Norway) June Verner (Drexel University, USA) Conference co-ordinator: Jo Cowderoy, ESCOM-ENCRESS-98 1 Walstead Cottages, Walstead, West Sussex, RH16 2QQ, UK Phone/fax +44(UK) 1444 484093 Email JCowderoy@aol.com For matters concerning ENCRESS : Joan Atkinson, CSR Bedson Building, University of Newcastle, NE1 7RU, UK Phone +44(UK) 191 221 2222 Fax +44(UK) 191 222 7995 email: Joan.Atkinson@newcastle.ac.uk SEE ALSO For more about ESCOM and ENCRESS, and for new information as it comes, please visit our web-sites: http://members.aol.com/acowderoy/escomencress98.htm http://members.aol.com/ac owderoy/escom.htm http://www.csr.ncl.ac.uk/clubs/encress.html The ESCOM conferences are sponsored by the Centre for Software Reliability. The ESCOM-ENCRESS-1998 conference is administered on behalf of attendees by ESCOM Conference Ltd, registration number 3438938. ####################################################################### From: Pavol Navrat (navrat@elf.stuba.sk) ************************************** First Announcement and Call for Papers ********** JCKBSE'98 ********** Third Joint Conference on Knowledge-Based Software Engineering Smolenice, Slovakia, September 9-11, 1998 Sponsored by: ------------- SIG on Knowledge-Based Software Engineering, Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers (EICE), Japan Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Slovakia Russian Association for Artificial Intelligence Bulgarian Artificial Intelligence Association In cooperation with: -------------------- Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence Slovak Society for Informatics The Institution of Electrical Engineers - Slovak Centre Steering Commitee: ------------------ Christo Dichev, IIT, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Morio Nagata, Keio University Pavol Navrat, Slovak University of Technology Vadim L. Stefanuk, IITP, Russian Academy of Sciences Haruki Ueno, Tokyo Denki University ABOUT THE CONFERENCE ******************** Joint Conference on Knowledge-Based Software Engineering aims to provide a forum for researchers and practitioners to discuss topics in knowledge engineering and in software engineering. Special emphasis is given to application of knowledge-based methods to software engineering problems. The conference originated from efforts to provide a suitable forum for contacts for scientists mainly from Japan, the CIS countries and the countries of the Central and Eastern Europe while always being open for participants from the whole world. JCKBSE'98 will continue in this tradition and expand for even greater international participation. Also, the scope of the conference as indicated by its topics is being updated to reflect the recent development in all three areas i.e., * knowledge engineering, * software engineering, * knowledge-based software engineering. The conference will also include invited talks. TOPICS (include, but are not limited to) ****** * Architecture of knowledge, software and information systems including collaborative, distributed, multi-agent and multimedia systems, internet and intranet * Domain modelling * Requirements engineering, formal and semiformal specifications * Intelligent user interfaces and human machine interaction * Knowledge acquisition and discovery, data mining * Automating software design and synthesis * Program understanding, programming knowledge * Object-oriented and other programming paradigms, metaprogramming * Reuse, re-engineering, reverse engineering * Knowledge-based methods and tools for software engineering, including testing, verification and validation, process management, maintenance and evolution, CASE * Decision support methods for software engineering * Applied semiotics for knowledge-based software engineering * Learning of programming, modelling programs and programmers * Knowledge systems methodology, development tools and environments * Software engineering and knowledge engineering education, distance learning, emergence of an information society PROGRAM COMMITTEE ***************** Zbigniew Banaszak Seiichi Komiya Technical Univ., Zielona Gora,PL IPA, Chair of SIG-KBSE, Co-chair, JPN Andras Benczur Zenya Koono Eotvos Lorand Univ.,Budapest,HU Saitama Univ., JPN Maria Bielikova Teruo Koyama Slovak Univ. of Technology, SK NACSIS, JPN Vladan Devedzic Vitaliy Lozovskiy Univ. of Belgrade, YU UAS, Odessa, UA Christo Dichev Ludovit Molnar IIT-BAS, BG Slovak U. of Technology, SK Darina Dicheva Morio Nagata Univ. of Sofia, BG Keio Univ., JPN Danail Dochev Pavol Navrat IIT-BAS, BG Slovak U. of Technology, Co-chair,SK Alexander Ehrlich Toshio Okamoto Computer Centre of RAS, RU U. of El. Communication, JPN Yoshiaki Fukazawa Gennadii Osipov Waseda Univ., JPN Programme Systems I. of RAS,RU Matjaz Gams Yury N. Pechersky Univ. of Ljubljana, SI I. of Math. of MAS, MD Viktor Gladun Dmitrii Pospelov I. of Applied Informatics,Kiev,UA Computer Centre of RAS, RU Vladimir Golenkov Vadim Stefanuk Radiotech. Univ. of Minsk,BY Inf.Transfer Probl.I.of RAS,RU Masaaki Hashimoto Kenji Sugawara Kyushu I. of Technol., JPN Chiba I. of Technology, JPN Tomas Hruska Enn Tyugu Technical Univ. of Brno, CZ KTH, Kista, SE Kenji Kaijiri Haruki Ueno Shinshu Univ., JPN Tokyo Denki Univ., JPN Vladimir Khoroshevsky Shuichiro Yamamoto Computer Centre of RAS, RU NTT, JPN VENUE ***** Smolenice castle is a beautiful site renown for providing excellent environment for scientific conferences. It serves as a congress centre. It is situated approximately 60km from Bratislava in the surroundings of Small Carpathians mountains. PROCEEDINGS *********** All accepted papers will be published in the conference proceedings and will be available at the conference. In addition, several of the highest quality papers will be selected for a special issue of IEICE Transactions on Information and Systems. LANGUAGE ******** The official language of the conference will be English. PAPER SUBMISSION **************** Full papers should not exceed 8 pages. Short papers should not exceed 4 pages. Papers will be reviewed according to: technical quality, originality, clarity, appropriateness to the conference focus, and adequacy of references to related work. Authors should submit the papers electronically. For details see conference web site. In addition, one copy of a manuscript should be sent, too. Each paper should contain the following information: * Title of the paper. * Name, affiliation, mailing address of the author, e-mail. * Abstract of 100-200 words. * The subject category (the topic) in which the paper should be reviewed. IMPORTANT DATES *************** Feb. 1, 1998 - Registration forms March 1, 1998 - Paper submission deadline May 1, 1998 - Notification of acceptance May 20, 1998 - Camera-ready deadline Sept. 9 - 11, 1998 - Conference dates CORRESPONDENCE ADDRESS ********************** JCKBSE'98 Department of Computer Science and Engineering Slovak University of Technology IlkoviŸova 3, 812 19 Bratislava, Slovakia fax: +421 7 720 415, e-mail: jckbse98@dcs.elf.stuba.sk More information about JCKBSE'98 is available on the conference web site: http://www.dcs.elf.stuba.sk/jckbse98/ FEE *** Participants will pay for an integrated package comprising registration fee, board and lodging, proceedings and a half day excursion. Participants from CIS and Central and Eastern Europe are eligible for a substantially reduced fee. SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS ******************** There will be available a limited number of scholarships for students submitting papers to the conference to support partially their participation. PRELIMINARY REGISTRATION FORM ***************************** Third Joint Conference on Knowledge-Based Software Engineering Smolenice, Sept. 9-11, 1998 Last name _______________________________________________________ First name ______________________________________________________ Affiliation _____________________________________________________ Address _________________________________________________________ City/Code _______________________________________________________ Country _________________________________________________________ Phone _____________________ Fax _____________________________ E-mail __________________________________________________________ Yes, I intend to attend the JCKBSE'98: * Proposing a paper * Proposing a panel discussion * Without presenting a paper The provisional title of my paper is: Co-author(s): Topic: Abstract (attach on a separate sheet) Date Signature Please, fill in completely and mail this form at your earliest convenience, but not later than Feb. 1, 1998 to the correspondence address. After you have registered, you will be immediately added to our mailing list. Fax registrations are also accepted. Alternatively use electronic registration on the conference web site. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Conference Announcements ####################################################################### From: Bob Waters (watersr@cc.gatech.edu) The 11th Conference on Software Engineering, Education and Training (CSEET) will be held in Atlanta, Georgia 23-25 February 1998. Details can be found at our web site: http://www.cc.gatech.edu/conferences/CSEET98/cseet.htm (A related item about one of the CSEE&T Workshops follows.) ####################################################################### From: Don Bagert (bagert@ttu.edu) A CSEE&T 98 Workshop Software Education 2000: Computing at the Crossroads Donald J. Bagert Department of Computer Science Texas Tech University Lubbock TX 79409-3104 bagert@ttu.edu The motivation behind this workshop is twofold. First of all, there are several different disciplines, including computer science, information systems, software engineering, and computer engineering, in a variety of academic units, that are concerned with the education of software professionals. However, these programs vary widely in addressing the fundamentals of software education in their respective curricula. Second, there are several different organizations, including accreditation bodies, professional organizations, licensing and certification bodies that are interested in the education and development of software professionals. This workshop is intended to bring some of these people together to discuss the issues that are facing the education of software professionals at the threshold of a new century. There will be two sessions for this workshop, which are loosely coupled, so that people can attend one session without having to attend both. The morning session will focus on "Accreditation, Licensing, and Professional Issues", while the afternoon session will focus on "Software Development: Science or Engineering?" The workshop format will encourage audience participation and interaction between the seven presenters. The following people (in alphabetical order) are scheduled to make presentations in the morning session: E.D. "Dave" Dorchester (representing the Texas State Board of Professional Engineers) Richard J. LeBlanc of Georgia Tech University (representing the Education Task Force of the Joint IEEE Computer Society and ACM Steering Committee for the Establishment of Software Engineering as a Profession) Doris Lidtke of Towson State University (representing CSAB) Jerry Yeargan of the University of Arkansas (representing ABET) The afternoon session will focus on "Software Development: Science or Engineering?" Thomas B. Hilburn of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will present a draft of the Guidelines for Software Education [Editor's Note: see Working Group minutes elsewhere in this issue] currently being developed by a committee of the Working Group on Software Engineering Education and Training. There will also be presentations by people representing the viewpoints of software education in both computer science/liberal arts and information systems programs. [Note: A more detailed and updated schedule will appear in the January FASE.] Each of these seven speakers will spend 30 minutes on presentation, and 15 minutes on discussion. Both audience participation and interaction between the various presenters will be encouraged. The final forty-five minute segment of the afternoon session will consist of a general discussion of the day's events, and a solicitation of ideas for future events of this type, led by the workshop organizer. For more information, contact Don Bagert (bagert@ttu.edu). ####################################################################### Closing the Gap, a National Forum on the Information Technology Skills Shortage January 22-23, 1998 Washington, D.C. Sponsored by University Continuing Education Association Information at Web site: http://www.nucea.edu Learn how partnerships among industry, continuing higher education, and government are promoting economic development by providing education and training to individuals employed by or aspiring to enter information technology professions. The Friday, January 23 morning session has concurrent joint presentations by 4 different collaborations: Connecticut Information Technology Institute Boston University Corporate Education Partnerships University of New Orleans and the Oracle Academic Initiative Illinois State University and Advanced Information Services +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Faculty Positions ####################################################################### From: Jim Kiper (Kiperjd@MUOhio.edu) Applications are invited for two or more tenure track positions at the rank of assistant professor in the Systems Analysis Department at Miami University beginning August 1998. The department integrates the fields of computer science, information systems and operations research. For one position, preference will be given to candidates with expertise in computer networks. For another position, preference will go to candidates with expertise in simulation and operations research. However, qualified candidates from other areas will be considered for all positions. Ph.D. in computing related area required; industrial experience a plus. Duties include teaching, research, and service. Miami University, located 35 miles north of Cincinnati, has 15,000 undergraduate and 1,800 graduate students. Miami was selected in the past few years among the top 10 schools in undergraduate education. The Systems Analysis Department offers baccalaureate and master degrees, and was one of two computer science departments without Ph.D. programs cited in the top 100 departments in research quality and productivity. See http://www.sas.muohio.edu/san/ for more information. Send resume, three letters of reference, and visa status, if applicable, to: James D. Kiper, Systems Analysis Dept., Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056. (Phone: 513-529- 5931, Fax: 513-529-1524, Email: Kiperjd@MUOhio.edu) Review of applications will begin November 1, 1997 and will continue until the positions are filled. We encourage applications from a broad spectrum of individuals, including women and members of ethnic minorities. Miami is an EO/AA employer. ####################################################################### From: Bill Hefley (Kiperjd@MUOhio.edu) Visiting Position in Information Systems at Carnegie Mellon for 1998/1999 The Department of Social and Decision Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University seeks to fill visiting position in information systems for the academic year 1998/1999. We need a person who will be able to assist in teaching student project courses that are based on a systems development life cycle approach. Ability to help students with needs analysis, data modelling, process modelling, and interfaces is required. Since much of the coursework involves working with student teams of 5 or more members, ability to work in small group environment is important. Ability to teach an application development course in a lecture/cluster format using Visual Basic is a plus. The department is interdisciplinary and has particular strengths in behavioral decision theory, policy analysis, organizations, industrial organization, the causes and effects of technological change, and computational social science. Current projects and faculty are described at the website: http://hss.cmu.edu/HTML/departments/sds/sds.html. The visiting professor will be welcome to, and encouraged to, participate in this research environment. Carnegie Mellon University is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity employer. We encourage minorities, women, and individuals with disabilities to apply. Applicants should send a CV, 3 letters of recommendation, description of teaching objectives and types of courses taught, evaluations of teaching performance, and a cover letter describing teaching skills and research interests to: Chair, Information Systems Search Committee, Department of Social and Decision Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890. Review of applications will begin February 15, 1998. ####################################################################### From: Jorge L. Diaz-Herrera (jdiaz@moncol.monmouth.edu) Monmouth University Software Engineering Department Tenure-track Assistant professor The Software Engineering Department of Monmouth University is seeking a full-time faculty member for a tenure track appointment at the assistant professor level starting September 1, 1998. The position is open to individuals with experience and research interests in core software engineering topics, including: software process improvement; PSP; requirements engineering; design methodologies; and software Q/A. Candidates must have strong commitment to teaching excellence, dedication to continued professional development, and broad based knowledge of software engineering. Candidates must have a Ph.D. in Computer Science, with specialization in software engineering or closely related area. An undergraduate degree in engineering will be considered an advantage. The department of Software Engineering offers an MS program, the only such program in New Jersey, in a newly furbished facility, with excellent software and hardware resources. The MSSE program, a decade old, focuses on fundamental principles which are complemented by state of the art technology-oriented electives. The Software Engineering department strives to work closely with other departments and offers a special "telecommunications track" in cooperation with EE and CS. Other specialization tracks, such as information systems and systems acquisition, are being considered. The School of Science, Technology and Engineering is comprised of the following departments: Biology, Chemistry/Physics/Medical Technology; Computer Science; Electrical Engineering; Mathematics; Software Engineering; and the Center for Technology Development and Transfer. The School serves about 15 percent of the University's students. All disciplines have undergraduate programs except Electronic Engineering and Software Engineering, which are exclusively masters programs. The school is currently conducting a feasibility study for the introduction of an undergraduate degree in Software Engineering and/or Telecommunications Engineering. Monmouth University, recently designated a teaching university by the State of New Jersey, has 5,300 students, of whom 1200 are at the graduate level. Located along the Central Jersey shore approximately one hour south of New York City and 1.5 hours east of Philadelphia, Monmouth University's 138 acre, suburban campus is home to approximately 30 baccalaureate degree programs and 11 masters programs. Monmouth University is located in Monmouth County, NJ, which is home to some of the world's leading high technology companies, particularly in the areas of telecommunications and computer/communications systems. Applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and list of three references to: Dean School of Science, Technology and Engineering Monmouth University, West Long Branch, NJ, 07764-1898. Attention: Software Engineering Search Committee Applications will be accepted until the position is filled; however, those received on or before February 14, 1998 will be given immediate consideration. Submissions should include details of any teaching experience as well as teaching and research interests. MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY, AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Monmouth University Software Engineering Department Instructorship Position The Software Engineering Department of Monmouth University invites applications for a temporary one-year position as Instructor. The position starts September 1, 1998. The position is open to individuals with experience and research interests in core software engineering topics, including: software process improvement, requirements engineering, design methods, and software Q/A. Candidates must have a strong commitment to teaching excellence, and a broad based knowledge of software engineering. Candidates must have a Master's Degree in Software Engineering or Computer Science, with specialization in software engineering or closely related area. Software Engineering is one of a handful of such programs in the country and the only program of its type in New Jersey. The department of Software Engineering offers a graduate program in a newly furbished facility, with excellent software and hardware resources. Monmouth University is located in Monmouth County, NJ, which is home to some of the world's leading high technology companies, particularly in the areas of telecommunications and computer/communications systems. Applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and list of three references to: Dean School of Science, Technology and Engineering Monmouth University, West Long Branch, NJ, 07764-1898. Attention: Software Engineering Search Committee Applications will be accepted until the position is filled; however, those received on or before February 14, 1998 will be given immediate consideration. Submissions should include details of any teaching experience as well as teaching and research interests. MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY, AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Feedback on Ethics By: Don Bagert Pete Knoke's article "SE Ethics in a Market Economy? Help!" in the November issue of FASE requested feedback; Pete reports that he has received several comments, and may summarize them in a future issue. Two people, Joseph Kasser of the University of Maryland University College, and Mathias Felleisen of Rice University, provided some comments which are presented below. ####################################################################### From: Joe Kasser (jkasser@polaris.umuc.edu) I also teach in a computer systems management curriculum. The paper I use for the basis of the ethics discussion is one I presented a year or so ago. It formed the bases for a chapter in my last book. I enclose a copy for your review in case you'd like to use it in fase as a follow on to the current issue. [The abstract for the paper is included below; if you are interested in the entire paper, please contact Dr. Kasser.] Joe ====================================================== Joe Kasser Organizational Engineering University of Maryland University College The Excellence! Paradigm Reply to: The key to the 21 century jkasser@polaris.umuc.edu office phone 301 985 4616 ====================================================== ETHICS IN SYSTEMS ENGINEERING Joe Kasser The Anticipatory Testing Corporation POB 3419 Silver Spring, MD 20918 Telephone 301 593 3316 FAX 301 593 2624 ABSTRACT Systems are growing larger and larger and are taking over the running of many facets of modern society, such as Automated Traffic Handling Systems, Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems, and Air Traffic Control Systems. A failure in one of these systems can cause economic damage, as well as loss of life. An engineer who discovers such a problem or even the probability of such a problem faces an ethical dilemma concerning what to about the discovery. This paper discusses personal and corporate ethics in systems engineering; the ethical dilemma faced by a systems engineer and the possible consequences of abiding by one's principles. ####################################################################### From: Mathias Felleisen (mathias@rice.edu) Dear Pete: your students claim concerning ethics and market economy reflects a wide-spread misunderstanding of what the market economy is about. A real society always faces the real problem of scarcity of goods. It then chooses a system of exchange of goods. Historically a market system has proven to be most efficient. The choice of a market system, however, must be preceeded by a choice of political, social, and ethical meta-goals (I use the word meta here as a logician), that is, goals that the market cannot achieve per se, because its only function is to allocate goods according to some price system. The meta-goals could be: all geographic locations must have equally priced access to the market; all people who are physically and mentally able to participate must have the same opportunity; and no trades may harm people. Clearly, some meta-goals can be "priced" into the cost function of market participants. Sulfur pollution has been successfully dealt with in that way here in the US. Others can't. For those society must outline laws that embody social, ethical, and other considerations. Since laws cannot capture all ethical rules, they are only a framework that market participants must interpret according to a widely used consensus on ethics. It is society's task to teach this consensus to the next generation. Of course, like all social tasks this is governed by the subsidiary principle, i.e., first families, then local schools, colleges, universities, counties, states, the federal system, and finally the un "teach" these things. The legal framework in particular should be taught in relevant courses, but the course should clarify that society only formulates a legal framework to capture ethics, it doesn't define ethics to the dot and comma. In summar, market economy governs economical exchanges, but its rules and goals are first set (and continually revised) by society at large. There is no contradiction between markets and economy. Regards -- Matthias P.S. Yes, I am a professor of computer science, but I also have an MBA with a strong economics segment. And I am truly concerned about the wide spread misunderstanding of what markets are, what role they serve, and how they relate to society at large. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Contact and General Information about FASE The Forum for Advancing Software engineering Education (FASE) is published on the 15th of each month by the FASE editorial board. Send newsletter articles to one of the editors, preferably by category: Articles pertinent to corporate and government training to Kathy Beckman, Kathy.Beckman@cdsi.com; Academic education, and all other categories to Don Bagert, bagert@ttu.edu. Items must be submitted by the 8th of the month in order to be considered for inclusion in that month's issue. Everyone that is receiving this is on the FASE mailing list. If you wish to leave this list, write to listserv@cpm211-1.cs.ttu.edu and, in the text of your message (not the subject line), write: signoff fase To rejoin (or have someone else join) the FASE mailing list, write to listserv@cpm211-1.cs.ttu.edu and, in the text of your message (not the subject line), write: subscribe fase But what if you have something that you want 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 listserv@cpm211-1.cs.ttu.edu and, in the text of your message (not the subject line), write: subscribe fase-talk Please try to limit FASE-TALK to discussion items related to software engineering education and training; 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! Send requests for information problem reports, returned mail, or other correspondence about this newsletter to fase-request@cpm211-1.cs.ttu.edu. If it is a LOC (letter of comment) that can be included as such in a future issue of FASE, please put "letter of comment" (without the quotes) as the subject. Back issues (from 1997) can be found on the FASE web page (http://www.cs.ttu.edu/fase). The FASE Staff: Don Bagert -- Academic/Misc Editor and ListMaster Dept. of Computer Science 8th and Boston Texas Tech University Lubbock TX 79409-3104 USA Phone: 806-742-1189 Fax: 806-742-3519 Email: bagert@ttu.edu Kathy Beckman -- Corporate/Government Editor Computer Data Systems One Curie Ct. Rockville MD 20850 USA Phone: 301-921-7027 Fax: 301-921-1004 Email: Kathy.Beckman@cdsi.com 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