Forum for Advancing Software engineering Education (FASE) Volume 8 Number 11 (106rd Issue) - November 15, 1998 860 subscribers Note: If you have problems with the format of this document, try ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Table of Contents This Month's Topic: SEE&T Outside of the USA Next Month's Topic: Software Engineering Ethics E&T Upcoming Topics News Items Accreditation: ABET and CSAB Agree to an 'Integration' Curriculum: Latest 'Guidelines' Draft Released, Gets New Name Calls for Participation ASEE Software Engineering Division Organization Update Conference Announcements CSEE&T 99 Preliminary Advance Program Position Openings Drexel University Florida State University University of Alabama University of Colorado at Boulder University of Missouri-Rolla Contact and General Information about FASE ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ From: Michael Ryan This Month's Topic: Software Engineering Education and Training Outside of the USA Software Engineering Education outside the USA. Guest Editor's comments Prof. Michael Ryan, Dublin City University Michael.Ryan@dcu.ie www.compapp.dcu.ie 'Outside the USA' is a pretty big area, so the focus for this topic is on what's happening in Europe. This issue has articles on the European Thematic Network for Computing, on what's happening in Germany, and on the Irish scene. Next month will include further articles on the situation in the United Kingdom and in Poland. Overall, the articles indicate that in Europe, as in the USA, there are many issues still unresolved in relation to software engineering education and the emergence of a properly recognised profession. Academia and industry are co-operating in addressing these issue, both within countries and across national boundaries, but progress is fairly slow. There is scope for considerably more co-operation. The Commission of the European Union has recently set up a Thematic Network for Computing which links colleges and industry around Europe, and this may well play an increasing role in the exchange of ideas and the achievement of consensus. There is significant diversity in the underlying educational system across the different countries in Europe, so common approaches to any topic, not just software, can be difficult to achieve. The Commission of the European Union is encouraging the adoption of a European Credit Transfer System, and a number of colleges have moved in this direction. If the ECTS scheme succeeds, it will facilitate transfer of students among the European countries, and provide some kind of pan-European metric for the educational level they have reached. Software engineering education will be influenced by these developments. It's going to be interesting to see what the next few years will bring. Perhaps it is appropriate to add to the views of the various contributors some personal comments, based on a number of years involvement in computing/software engineering education. First, a terminological point. It's probably true to say that in Europe computing degrees usually involve a fair treatment of software engineering, so in that spirit, I'll be referring to 'computing/software engineering'. I think it would be a relatively rare computing degree in Europe, whatever its title, that would not take software development seriously. That said, one can occasionally encounter graduates with good honours degrees in computer science from European universities with little understanding or ability in software development. There is certainly an issue when this can happen, but in Europe computer science and software engineering generally seem to cohabit fairly well. The sort of polarisation sometimes noticeable in the USA is not so evident. Certainly in Ireland, the country with which I am most familiar, most computing degrees could pass muster as software engineering degrees, with graduates predominantly aimed at work in software development. There is a general expectation that degrees in computing/computer science/software engineering, whatever they are called, should turn out potential software engineers. In looking at such degrees, whether in Europe or in the USA, the basic question is surely the same :- what constitutes a good education based on computing/software engineering as the central theme? I've heard quite a variety of responses in Europe over the years. One answer put forward is that computing simply is not educational - apparently it is some form of technical activity of a pretty low order, at most involving training in the use of a computer language. This view came from people involved in educational policy at the highest level, and it is not comforting to consider how widely it may be held. It's not only the students who need education. Another response encountered fairly often replaces the basic question with a different one - what does industry want? But when queried industry stresses the need for well educated people with good communication skills, etc., and shies away from specifics, so this gives a sort of circular definition. It can be striking though how often the needs of industry are emphasised by academics when debating computing curricula. The educational needs, which are surely more fundamental, can be in danger of playing second fiddle, or of hardly being heard at all. Paradoxically, this is almost certainly not what industry wants, and definitely not what it needs. Without doubt the best responses to the question can be found in the work of bodies such as the ACM, the SEI, the IEEE, the AIS, the AITP and others. Their curriculum recommendations are probably familiar to every reader of FASE, and are highly respected and widely referenced in Europe as elsewhere. For someone looking for an answer to the basic question, however, it seems to me that there is still a difficulty. The recommendations of the different bodies are far from being the same. This is hardly surprising, as the bodies operate in different contexts. However, does there have to be such diversity in educational recommendations for undergraduate level courses, a diversity then made even greater by differences in implementation? Is it not possible to identify an undergraduate curriculum which can do justice to the claims of software engineering, of computer science, and of information systems? What are we doing to the future development of our students by asking them to choose between these topics at the undergraduate stage? While recognising the terrific work that is being done in designing different types of course, I must admit to a strong feeling that such diversity at undergraduate level is a mistake. I suspect it leads to building on too narrow a foundation, and limits the scope for flexibility and for addressing new opportunities later on. Surely the real challenge is to design an undergraduate course that can support a subsequent professional career in software engineering, or in computer science, or in information systems, and allow students to progress to M.Sc. or Ph.D. studies in these areas if they so desire. To put my own cards on the table, below are the main questions that I use as touchstones in looking at computing/software engineering degrees. 1. Is the course worthwhile, even if the student has nothing further to do with the discipline? In other words, is the course really educational? This rules out those courses which put too much emphasis on today's packages or similar fads and fashions. We should not forget that computing/software engineering is full of material of lasting educational value. We are lucky that such interesting ideas and problems are associated with the area, ranging from the deeply philosophical to the highly technical. The disciplines and insights required in designing and developing software are intrinsically interesting and transfer to many other domains. I think we often sell short the general educational value of a good computing/software engineering education - certainly it is usually not appreciated by those outside the field. 2. Does it provide a good theoretical foundation? The basic results in logic, in algorithmics and computability, in computer architecture, in software engineering, in formal languages and automata, in information retrieval, and in communications will still be relevant in a century's time, and need to be adequately treated. Apart from its intrinsic interest, the theory is necessary as a support for good design, and as a help in avoiding the mistakes of the past. As Poor Richard remarked 'Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other'. 3. Does it provide the students with good programming and software engineering skills? These can really only be developed by doing, and by doing on a sufficient scale. Is there a project in there involving 5000+ lines of code per individual student? Are the students supported in applying the software engineering ideas they are being taught? At least one project on this kind of scale is needed to bring home the reality of the software engineering problems, and the real meaning of the disciplines involved. The understanding that comes with involvement in such an effort, and the confidence it brings, are of fundamental importance. 4. Does it provide enough contextual material to form a basis for effective communication? Computing/software engineering graduates often work on the problems of business and industry. Yet few degrees contain a treatment of such fundamental business disciplines as accountancy, the framework generally used in describing business systems. In fact, it is extraordinary how difficult it can be to introduce such a subject into a course. Technology, in particular electronics, is usually better provided for, sometimes even to excess. These biases probably reflect the backgrounds of faculty rather than the best educational interests of the students. Surely any computing/software engineering graduate should have the basic understanding of business and technical systems needed to be able to communicate effectively with a businessman or accountant, or with an engineer or scientist. In a four year undergraduate course it is possible to provide a good answer all of the above. Why then opt to leave out some substantial component, such as the large project, or the business context, or the technology context, in the interests of early specialisation, or of a purely theoretical approach? It's particularly surprising when a computing degrees lacks a substantial software development component. After all, being able to blend theory and practice is very valuable educationally. Doing and understanding are closely linked and mutually reinforcing. I believe that computing graduates who have not been involved in reasonably substantial software development will lack not just a knowledge of software engineering, but also real understanding of much of the other computing material they will have studied. Perhaps the next few years will see convergence on a common core of computing/software engineering material for those undergraduate degrees whose graduates move into professional careers in software engineering or into computer science/software engineering research. Of course, a primary degree is only a part of the education involved in becoming a software engineer. As in other professions, some form of internship or apprenticeship is also needed. To provide this systematically will require partnership with industry in a way not yet achieved either in Europe or in the USA. Certainly in Europe the important professional formation that can only be obtained on the job, particularly the initial job, is something of a hit and miss affair for the majority of graduates. A better partnership between academia and industry is clearly needed in Europe as elsewhere. In other disciplines where such partnerships do exist, a key factor is the existence of professional bodies, with membership mandatory if one wishes to practice the profession. These bodies are then able to specify both academic qualifications and an appropriate internship or apprenticeship, and can even insist on a continuing updating of skills. Although various professional bodies for computing/software engineering exist in Europe, membership is not required in order to practice the profession. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that the sort of profession defining bodies that exist for other disciplines will emerges soon in Europe. The demand for computing personnel is so high that the restrictions implicit in the creation of such bodies are unlikely to be looked on favourably. Legislation may be part of the answer. As society begins to understand its vulnerability to software failures, its laws will start to demand appropriate professional standards in software development. One approach might be the extension of existing professional qualifications, such as Chartered Engineer, to include computing/software engineering. Involvement on certain types of project could then be restricted by law to those with this professional qualification. Some initial moves along these lines are already being made in a number of European countries. Real progress with legislation may require a major disaster that can be traced to poor professional practices. Very few European legislators have any understanding of software engineering. The absence of the sort of professional bodies which can licence the computing/software engineering profession makes the role of the educational system all the more critical. It means that we as educators need to be very much aware of the careers towards which our graduates are heading, and of our responsibility to equip them to pursue those careers in a proper professional way. In discharging this responsibility, co-operation is likely to be key. There is a saying in the Irish language, 'ni neart go cur le ceile', 'there's no strength until there is co-operation', and it's heartening to see the goodwill and co-operation that already exists among those involved in computing/software engineering education. Clearly the co-operation that's needed between the different professional bodies, within academia, and between academia, industry, and government, should not be limited by national boundaries. I hope the articles in this issue provide some useful insights into what is happening in Europe. My thanks to those who have contributed them, and to the Don Bagert, the editor of FASE for the opportunity to act as guest editor on this topic. Hopefully the articles make some contribution towards the co-operation we'll need if we're to identify how to provide a good education based around computing/software engineering as a central theme. ###################################################################### Software Engineering Education at German Universities Professor Gerhard Zimmermann Informatik, University of Kaiserslautern, Germany zimmerma@informatik.uni-kl.de 1.0 Introduction This report describes German university education. We therefore start with a short description of a typical educational schedule. Students start to study at a university after 13 years of school. Of these, typically four years are spent in elementary schools and nine in so called "Gymnasiums", one of three secondary school types running in parallel. The gymnasium is finished with an exam, called the "Abitur". About 30% of all students starting at the elementary school finish the Abitur. The rest leaves the Gymnasium before the Abitur or chooses one of the other school types. The Abitur is the main access qualification to study at a university. Besides at universities, students with an Abitur can also study at the so called "Fachhochschulen", similar to polytechnic schools. The difference between the two types of schools is that universities provide a more scientifically and "Fachhochschulen" a more practically oriented education. Only universities have doctorate programs. In this report we will call the education in computing "informatics", close to the German word "Informatik". This seems to be in order because of the differences with other countries. Informatics includes the areas of theoretical, practical, applied, and technical computer science. Since the latter is often called computer engineering, another translation of "Informatik" would be "computer science and engineering". This title is also used in this report in conjunction with bachelor or master degrees. The structure of the German university programs differ because of historical reasons from the typical Bachelor/Master programs and will therefore be briefly explained. The distinction between undergraduate and graduate studies can be mapped onto two years of study before the "Vordiplom" and the official 2.5 years after the Vordiplom. After this time the exam for the degree "Diplom in Informatik" can be passed. Typically students need 4 years after the Vordiplom to get this degree. The "Diplom in Informatik" is roughly equivalent to the "Master of Science in Computer Science and Engineering" at US-American universities. It includes part of typical Ph.D. programs, because highly qualified students with this degree can start on their dissertation without further course work. Unlike the Bachelor, the Vordiplom is not a job qualification type of degree, but just an intermediate exam to test the students' abilities. Therefore, it is not important in which phase students take specific classes. The whole program is seen as one unit. So the "Diplom" is the first job qualification whereas its equivalent in other systems, the M.Sc., is the second such qualification. We will therefore, in this report, talk about the whole program up to the "Diplom" and not distinguish between undergraduate and graduate studies. Currently, there is a strong development at German Universities to make the German system and the Bachelor/Master systems more transparent to each other by introducing Bachelor and Master degrees in addition to the Diplom. The reason is the actual and the wanted increase in student exchanges in Europe and worldwide. This transparency is either achieved by offering specific programs leading to these degrees or by merging the two systems as well as possible. Since there is no worldwide accepted Bachelor/Master system, this is a difficult task. In informatics we agree to compare a US-B.Sc program to three years of study at a German University because of the following calculation. German students enter the university after 13 years of school with the assumption that the general education is finished. US-students enter the college one year earlier and the first two college years include typically a fair amount of general and physical education. Therefore, four years of college are compared to three years of university education. This puts the B.Sc. one year after the Vordiplom. This should be kept in mind when the school years of the programs are compared. 2.0 Computer Science vs. Software Engineering This discussion or distinction is of minor importance at the moment in Germany. A solid university education in informatics should cover enough topics from the whole range of computer science and engineering, including software engineering and information systems, to work in all computer related jobs. In the typical time of six years of study this is achievable. At least, this is the idea. Reality shows that most of our students find jobs in the software industry that are similar and this seems to support the idea that we do not need to differentiate between computer science and software engineering in education. Students may study with different focuses though, depending on their liking and the profile of each university, but it is not clear that there is a correlation between focus and job. On the other hand, as the field of informatics grows, students can not cover everything and with the same depth. So, despite the freedom of the student to focus her or his program within the limits of the regulations that assure a certain degree of broad coverage, new programs within informatics with specific focuses emerge. The same has happened in the traditional sciences and in engineering a long time ago. But this development is closely watched by the "Fakultatentag", an assembly of all informatics departments, in order to guarantee some standards of university education. In the extreme, informatics is taught together with fields of application, as for example with economics or medicine. But these programs are not the topic of the discussion of this report. The discussion of computer science vs. software engineering in Germany is more a discussion: Are we still teaching the right topics in informatics or, even further, are we teaching informatics in the right way, to prepare our students for their jobs and for the future? I think of scientific foundation yet and therefore some teachers prefer the topics with a solid theoretical background. Another reason is that few colleagues have enough software engineering background themselves to teach it from their own experience. A few universities offer software project labs in addition to the lectures or also industry internships. In most cases, the only real experience of the students comes with programming as part of project, master, and doctoral theses. I intentionally call it programming, because in most cases these efforts are not handled with good software engineering practises. This often means that the implementation is done without requirements specifications and documentation is done after the software is finished. Since a large part of the industry creates software in a similar manner, internships are not always a good experience for the students. 3.0 Software Engineering in New Programs Currently there is a discussion about this traditional approach to software engineering in the informatics program. Since it is difficult to experiment with existing programs, new programs evolve with more emphasis on this topic. It has become clear that one of the major challenges of the software industry is the design of very complex systems and not the programming of small components of it. Thus an education focused on programming does not seem to be appropriate to solve such problems. One example is the program "Softwaretechnik" at the University of Stuttgart. Although informatics with all its current topics is still the basis of this program, the idea is to teach all topics from a different perspective. This perspective is "construction" rather than "analysis". This even means that courses in theoretical computer science have to change with this new objective in mind. The first year of this program includes the traditional introduction in informatics, the basics of languages and of programming. A programming course runs in parallel. In the second year this is followed by one semesters of software construction (4 lecture hours) and a software lab. In addition the first two years require studies of the basics of general engineering and of economic and management. The software construction course covers the complete software development process as an introduction to good practises for the software lab in the second year and the three required projects in the third and fourth year. The first project covers the development of new software in an application within the informatics department to learn the process and software management in a team. The the second project is more concerned with software maintenance and the third applies all this knowledge to a problem in engineering or business, requiring the cooperation with experts of another field in an interdisciplinary team. This short description clearly shows the emphasis on the construction of large software system with a lot of hands-on experience. Another example is the newly started program "Angewandte Informatik" (Applied Informatics) at the University of Kaiserslautern. There the above ideas are even taken further. One of the problems we see is that starting with a normal programming education, even using an object-oriented language, makes the transition from small programs to large systems very difficult for the students. Therefore, we start with system design right from the beginning, after a short introduction to software engineering, the development phases and modeling. In the beginning, the systems are very small and become more and more complex with growing experience. All concepts that would be taught in a traditional informatics introductory course are taught too, but always in the order: Specification, design, implementation, and testing. Thus the students learn that implementation or programming is not the first thing and not of first priority. But the courses do include the learning of a programming language, its concepts, and its use. Specification and design will be based on modeling techniques and supporting CASE tools for large systems. The development will go from informal models to the current more formal ones, as for example the UML notations. As a programming language we will use Java and stress the concepts that support large systems, for example components, concurrency, and reuse. With this in mind, the taught concepts have to be put into the right perspective. For example, the basic data structures and algorithms have to be known, but have to be expanded to the concepts used in large systems. This track requires four lecture hours for the first three semesters, followed by a software lab. It is supported by lectures on some of the theoretical foundations of the concepts, on soft- and hardware systems, and on the basics of application areas. Currently two application areas will be offered: Business Information Systems and Embedded Systems. Both areas are of major importance for German industry. In the third and forth year the topics can be expanded in width and depth, and also specialized for the two application areas. Two more labs and an interdisciplinary project with another department in an application area are mandatory. Also, more specific system construction courses are mandatory. System construction can be a pure software or a hardware/software problem, as in most embedded systems. Also, operating and communication systems are taught application area specific. 4.0 Conclusion The last section showed two examples of new programs in Germany. Others are currently being developed or the existing programs are being changed in the same direction. Both examples will also result in modifications in the existing programs, once more experience is gained. So we foresee two developments in Germany: Firstly, the traditional programs will introduce more software engineering principles and strengthen the practice and secondly, new programs as the above examples will evolve, putting the constructive aspects and system design in the centre. Nevertheless, all programs will stress education based on scientific principles as opposed to training. All programs will cover the whole range as described for the traditional informatics, with different emphasis, but not omitting whole areas. Industry interaction and influence on the one hand is indirect through contacts to former students, at conferences, and through co-operation. So far, most reactions to the professional's knowledge provided by the existing programs have been positive. A broad education seems to be preferred by most as opposed to very specific training. More practical experience is suggested. Direct influence through advisory boards has so far been avoided, with some exceptions. Direct influence on curricula could easily work in the wrong direction, caused by the very short term goals of the industry vs. the length of an education in Germany. There is influence through university-industry cooperation in the "Gesellschaft fur Informatik", the professional organization of computer scientists in Germany. Subgroups are constantly revising curricula proposals. Since informatics is somewhere between sciences and engineering, the question of certification has not really been discussed. Pressure is not coming from the industry, but more from concerns about international compatibility. Since even engineers are not certified in Germany other than by the university examinations, there is no stringent need to do so in informatics at the moment. In concluding, I should say that this report is based on information about the current programs of a selected number of German universities and therefore is by no means complete. It also represents the opinion of the author, especially about future developments. ###################################################################### Jennifer Condon, National Software Director, Ireland penricek@nsd.ie http://www.nsd.ie Introduction In this short article I will put forward some thoughts on computing/software engineering education from an industrial perspective. My views are naturally coloured by the Irish context, but I hope they are not excessively 'green'. The issues involved are probably universal, although the overall educational approach may be unique to Ireland. At present I head up the National Software Directorate, an Irish Government agency which supports the development of the software industry here. Before that I was head of software development for ICL in Dublin, and I have worked in the software industry for more years than I care to remember. In Ireland, the software industry is taken seriously. It has contributed significantly to the country's economic development, and continues to do so. Today, software exports are worth substantially more than agricultural exports, and Ireland is the second largest exporter of software in the World after the United States. Although some of this is simply manufactured and packaged here, an increasing proportion is developed and localised in Ireland. The industry has grown at an impressive rate. In 1993 there were a total of 417 software companies in Ireland. By 1995 this had increased to 483, and today we have almost 700. Of these about 100 are multinationals such as IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, and Lotus but almost 600 are Irish started and Irish owned. In 1988, a mere ten years ago, the total employment in the sector was about 1,000. By 1993 this had increased to almost 9,000 and at the end of 1997 employment was over 18,000. The educational system here has played a significant role in enabling this rapid growth, which shows no signs of abating. Revenue within the sector has also advanced and makes a significant contribution to the economy. In 1993, total revenue was $3 Billion, this increased to just over $4 Billion in 1995 and last year exceeded $6 Billion. These figures mean that we have seen growth performance of over 20% per annum sustained over the past number of years. Our forecast is that this type of growth will continue in the coming years and that overall revenue will rise to $10 Billion by the year 2000. While this may not seem large in a USA context, it should be remembered that Gross Domestic Product for Ireland is around $75 Billion, so software represents a significant fraction of all economic activity. About 95% of the software produced is exported. Even small companies here have an international outlook. The educational system The educational system is based on an unusual demographic structure. Ireland has a very young population. Of our 3.6 million people, over 70% are under 45 years old, 50% are less than 28 years old and 37% are under 20 years of age. There are almost one million full-time students either in primary, high school or third level education. I think this figure is amazing considering that the total number in paid employment is less than 1.4 million. Because of the recent success of the economy, emigration has been replaced by net immigration, so the young people who leave the educational system are now able to stay in Ireland, and the workforce is predicted to increase rapidly, growing by more than 30% over the next few years. The vast majority of these new workers will have completed high school - at present about 85% of the age cohort do so, and this figure is rising towards 90%. Over 40% will have some form of third level qualification. There are a number of points to be made about the educational system itself. At second level (High School), the students follow a broad curriculum right up to age 18 years or thereabouts. They typically study seven quite different subjects, including usually three languages (e.g. Irish, English and French or German), mathematics, a science subject, and two others, which may be drawn from business, humanities, or technology. The standard is good, and is the same across the whole country (the Leaving Certificate examinations are set by the Government and are the same for all). I think the broad base given by staying with seven subjects is preferable to concentrating on just a few areas. It helps the students be good communicators, and adds to their flexibility in later life. In both these respects it contributes to their viability in the software industry. Of course, going for seven subjects rather than say three does reduce the depth with which the material can be treated, but this trade-off is worth it. Effective communication depends on being able to put oneself in the other person's shoes, and this is based on education in a broad rather than a narrow sense. When looking at the third level sector, it is first worth remarking that standards in Ireland are high and are often commented on favourably by companies setting up here. Each year, about 50,000 high school students apply for admission to a degree course. However, there are only 17,000 places available, and these are allocated purely on performance in the Leaving Certificate examinations at the end of second level (High School). Another 17,000 places are available on certificate/diploma courses, and these are also heavily oversubscribed, with places allocated in the same way. There are no fees at third level, but clearly students have to be pretty good to be admitted. Perhaps it's not so surprising that they attain a good standard by the time they finish. Industry's satisfaction with the output of the third level sector is demonstrated by the high level of employment achieved, with over 80% of degree graduates going directly into employment, the vast majority of these in Ireland. Of those students who take Certificate and Diploma courses, nearly 40% find their way directly into employment, again the vast majority of them in Ireland, with almost all the rest going on to do full degrees. So much for the overall educational picture. But what about when the students do proceed to study computing at third level, they find themselves at one of seven universities, at one of twelve institutes of technology, or at one of two private colleges, all of which offer qualifications in computing up to at least degree level(four years). The universities and institutes of technology are funded by the government, and students do not have to pay fees. However, the number of places in computing falls well short of the demand, and in the past few years private fee paying colleges have started to offer courses in the subject. It may be of interest to look at the position of computing/software engineering departments within the different colleges in the Government funded sector. Universities Institutes Of Technology In engineering faculties 1 In science faculties 3 9 In business faculties 2 Computing/I.T. 3 1 In the institutes of technology many computing departments emerged out of mathematics, and in a number of cases they are still linked in the same department. Typically the new arrival has behaved a bit like the cuckoo in the nest, and come to be the major part of the department's activities. In the universities, three of the departments were set up ab initio, and have no historical linkage to other areas. In the case of the departments based in science faculties, some drew originally from mathematics and some from engineering. To help keep in touch with what is happening in education, and to facilitate information exchange and co-operation, the National Software Directorate organises a forum of the heads of Information Technology departments in the third level colleges which meets four or five times a year. The meetings are attended by representatives of the software industry and are chaired by the NSD. They allow a useful interchange of views, and help ensure that problems of mutual interest are identified at an early stage and addressed. The meetings also help inform the NSD, which has a role in advising Government on policy and other issues. We in the NSD are grateful for the co-operative and constructive spirit that has always been manifest at these meetings. A further support for communication and co-operation is the Centre for Teaching Computing, set up in 1993 by Dublin City University and the University of Ulster. Its activities are described elsewhere, and those of the Thematic Network for Computing for Europe in which it is the lead partner. I'll describe them no further here, except to compliment the CTC on being chosen by the European Commission to lead the Thematic Network. Types of qualifications In Ireland, taught courses in computing/software engineering fall into three main camps: Degree courses, typically of four years duration, usually leading to the B.Sc. degree Certificate courses of two years duration, leading to the National Certificate Diploma courses, usually a year following a certificate, leading to a National Diploma Postgraduate Diplomas, usually a year following a non-computing primary degree. Before a course can be run, its standard must be assessed and approved. If based at a University, a courses typically has to go through an accreditation process involving external experts. If based in an institute of technology, a government agency, the National Council for Educational Awards, is responsible for accrediting the course and carries out a process very similar to that found within the universities. Despite the departmental differences mentioned above, the approach taken to computing is very similar across all the colleges. There is general agreement on the need to provide a sound theoretical background in computer science and software engineering, and good software design and implementation skills. All the graduates complete a substantial software project. The contextual material covered, from business to microelectronics, is the main area of variation. In addition, some colleges provide periods of work placement in industry as an integral part of a course, while others do not. Graduates of all of the colleges are expected to be equipped to move into careers as software engineers. Although the computing/software engineering content is very similar, the titles of the degrees vary. Computer Science 6 Computer Science & Software Engineering 2 Computer Applications/Applied Computing 3 Software Engineering 1 Information Technology 2 Computer Systems 1 Software Development & Computer Networking 1 These different names seem to reflect history rather than content. Most of the earlier courses were titled 'Computer Science', and while their content has changed over the years, the name has remained the same. The more recently introduced courses have tended to opt for alternate names. Most if not all of the above courses could be titled something like 'Computing/Software Engineering'. A similar remark can be made about the Certificate and Diploma courses, although there is less variation with these, as most of them simply use the name 'Computing'. These courses are based in the Institutes of Technology, where they may stand alone or form part of a four year degree programme. The certificate courses give an excellent introduction to programming, generally in a data processing context, and usually include a significant software project in the second year. The diploma courses may well involve a period of industrial placement, and provide a more in depth treatment. A good Leaving Certificate result is needed to gain admission to these courses, though not as high as that required for degrees. Many excellent students come through these programmes, and it always surprises me that they are not better appreciated by the industry. Apart from these 'Computing/Software Engineering' types of qualification there are a variety of other degrees, such as 'Computational Linguistics', 'Computing and a Language', 'Computer Engineering', 'Business Information Systems'; where the focus is somewhat different, though there may be a significant software development content. The post-graduate diplomas are intensive one-year taught courses targeted at graduates from non-computing disciplines who have discovered an interest in computing. Far more graduates apply for positions on these courses than there are places available, and a good honours degree is generally required to gain admission. Some of those who complete these courses find they have a talent for programming and go on to work in software development. Most, however, become involved in activities on the boundary between user needs and technical design and implementation, such as requirements definition, user documentation, and user support. They are generally very well received by the software industry, and by industry generally. At a different level, a number of graduates in computing/software engineering go on to do research for M.Sc. or Ph.D. degrees. The numbers have been affected by the growth in demand for graduates by industry, but are now showing signs of an increase. In any country, but particularly in a small country, it is important to move up the value chain, and research has a fundamental role in making this possible. In an Irish context this can be illustrated by the story of Iona Technologies, whose ORBIX product is a world leader in the CORBA middleware arena. The company sprang from research work carried out in the Computer Science Department of Trinity College Dublin. Over the next few years I hope to see more companies of this type emerge from research activities here. Matching Supply and Demand One issue in matching supply and demand is getting a good fit between the qualifications available and the needs of a company. As mentioned above, the range of qualifications in computing/software engineering is a wide one, and it can be difficult for a company to appreciate this spectrum and match it to its own requirements, especially when the company comes from outside Ireland. Many companies, particularly multinationals from outside Ireland, seem to have a virtual obsession with hiring computing graduates. In recent years, the Irish Government has taken a number of initiatives aimed at making sure that the ouput of the educational system meets the needs of economic development. The Department of Education and Science, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, and the Department of Finance now meet at the highest level in order to achieve a well co-ordinated and timely approach. To advise the Government, two important groups have been put in place. One of these, the Irish Council for Science, Technology and Innovation, provides advice across a wide range of issues. It includes senior government officials, representatives from industry, and representatives from academia. It advises on the overall Government budget for research, and attempts to anticipate future trends through various studies. The other, the Expert Skills Group, attempts to predict the skills requirements of the Irish economy over the next few years. It is chaired by Dr. Chris Horn, the CEO of Iona Technologies, and includes academic and other experts in statistics and economics. The work of these two groups has already had an impact. Recent Government decisions include an increase of 1000 in the intake into computing/software engineering degrees, and the setting up of special additional programmes in software and in mechanical engineering at certificate level - these are just starting at present. The speed of response by Government in starting these initiatives is very encouraging, and augurs well for the future. Professional issues Once people have started working as software developers, how can they be supported in achieving the best professional standards? In Ireland in 1989, the Government decided to set up a National Centre for Software Engineering. The Centre, which is based at Dublin City University, is partially funded from industry and partly by Government, and promotes the adoption of best quality practices by companies involved in software development. It operates under the aegis of the National Software Directorate, and is involved with a significant proportion of the companies in the software sector here. While the Centre supports companies, and through them their staff, in putting quality processes in place, there is still a need for support of the individual practitioner in moving towards professional status. An important step in this direction has been taken by the coming together of the Irish Computer Society and the Institute of Engineers of Ireland. In a Memorandum of Understanding which they launched formally in November 1998 they committed to co-operating in such matters as recognition of Software Engineering as a specific engineering discipline accreditation of third level courses creating programmes for continuing professional development organising joint events. The software engineers recognised under this system will be able to achieve Chartered Engineer status, a well-recognised qualification already mandatory for those working in certain areas of engineering. This may well provide an important step to the establishment of software engineering as a properly recognised and licensed profession in Ireland. Conclusion A fundamental need for the development of a healthy software industry is a good mutual understanding between those involved in education and those involved in the industry. I have outlined above some of the ways we are trying to support this in Ireland, and I hope this, and the description of the overall educational provision here, have been of interest. In the National Software Directorate we will be doing what we can to promote understanding and partnership in Ireland. Maybe our results will be of interest on the broader world stage - if so, we will be happy to share them with you, and we would be glad of any input or suggestions you might care to make. One way or another, we all have a lot to learn. ###################################################################### The European Thematic Network in Computing Micheal O hEigeartaigh, moh@trbdi.ie http://www.ctc.dcu.ie/themework Before embarking on a description of the Thematic Network, it is probably worthwhile to give a brief outline of the Centre for Teaching Computing, which is lead partner in the Thematic Network. The Centre for Teaching Computing Over forty colleges in Ireland, North and South, teach computing/software engineering at third level. Each of them is involved in a continuous process of devising new teaching materials and curricula. As developments take place on a short time scale the potential for wasteful duplication of effort and variation in standards is considerable. Lessons learned on good teaching practice, on minimising failure and dropout rates, and on quality assurance and assessment are generally not shared. The Centre for Teaching Computing was set up by Dublin City University and the University of Ulster in 1993 to address these issues in Ireland, both North and South. Its primary aim is to help achieve high quality and cost effectiveness by supporting academics in identifying and achieving best practice. It promotes co-operation within the academic computing /software engineering community and between it and industry. The CTC aims to support the exchange of ideas and materials among those teaching computing/software engineering in Ireland help develop consensus on course curricula and syllabi across the different colleges help identify and provide access to best practice in learning, teaching and assessment help minimise failure and drop-out rates provide a forum for discussion both among the academics and between them and industry lead the European Thematic Network for Computing (this activity is funded by the European Union) provide its successful annual conference series on the teaching of computing (the first of its kind in Europe) support research about learning and teaching computing/software engineering encourage the production of educational materials and courseware help develop the reputation of Ireland as a centre of excellence for computing/software engineering education Highlights up to now include appointment of the CTC as lead partner in a Thematic Network for Computing by the Commission of the European Union..the annual conference series on the Teaching of Computing, the first conference series of its kind in Europe. The 1998 conference was run jointly with the ACM. Selection by the Commission of the European Union to organise an 'Evaluation Conference on University/Industry Co-operation in Europe in the Field of Computing'. The Conference, held in Dublin in 1996, was opened by one of the Commissioners. Proceedings are available. A start has been made in setting up course materials and annotated syllabi on the World Wide Web, and a system for providing them with continuous review and development. They may be visited at http://www.ctc.dcu.ie. provision of seminars at various centres on new developments in teaching computing establishing Meitheal, the Centre's newsletter. developing research into various aspects of teaching computing. Reports are available. Establishment of a steering committee which draws upon expertise from a number of organisations both inside and outside Ireland. The Thematic Network in Computing The European Commission has to set up a number of thematic networks in different subject areas, with a view to achieving greater co-operation among academics across the different countries and between them and industry. In 1997 it established the Thematic Network in Computing (TNC) and appointed the Centre for Teaching Computing (CTC) as the lead partner. At present the thematic network consists of over 100 universities and institutions. It is funded by the European Commission through DG XXII: Education, Training and Youth. The aims of the TNC are broadly similar to those of the CTC, but in the wider European context. More specifically, the TNC is required to address problems in: Duplication of effort in the design and development of courses and course materials Variation in standards Absence of effective means for recognising and sharing best practices Lack of co-operation between universities and the computing industry in the development of life long learning programmes and educational initiatives Failure to recognise and exploit the emerging international market for computing education materials at third level. The aims of the TNC are to (I) Promote discussion on pedagogic issues in computing and to promote best practice. (II) Support improved co-operation between European universities in the domain of computing. (III) Create a forum for the exchange of ideas and course materials. (IV) Promote the discipline of computing throughout Europe by: Developing quality assurance programmes Establishing joint courses between universities Establishing joint courses between universities and industrial trainers Initiating interdisciplinary actions involving computing. (V) Assess the potential for curriculum innovation in computing in universities and for the customisation of courseware to reflect cultural and regional differences in Europe. (VI) Contribute to the formation of the software design profession in Europe. The TNC facilitates the development, use and publication of best practices and materials for teaching computing, which it is hoped will result in: Improved availability of high quality computer personnel to service the needs of the European computing industry Improved cost efficiency due to less duplication of effort in course design and preparation High quality courses that keep abreast of developments in this rapidly changing area The promotion of computer education as an industry in itself The establishment of an EU reference point for computing curriculum design & delivery The establishment of a "point de reflection" which allows academics offer strategic advice on computing to the European Commission. In its first year of existence, the TNC organised three workshops, the Annual Conference on the Teaching of Computing (ACTC98), the Annual Conference on Integrating ITC in the Curriculum (ITC98). It published a number of strategy documents on its web site and initial support material for 30 computing syllabi. The computing support material is subject to critique on an on-going basis and will be revised on an annual basis through the ACTC* conference series. The work programme of the TNC is broken into four divisions: Thematic Network Management, including Course Support Material Quality Assurance in European Computing Programmes Inter-University Co-operation and Innovation Industry/University Co-operation in Computing and these are, in turn, broken into individual work packages. On of the most important aspects of the work of the TNC is the course support materials which it makes available on the web. At present things are still at an early stage, with material being assembled in the following areas: Core Computing Hardware Algorithms and Data Structures Physics Architecture Electronics Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Control Theory Database and Information Retrieval Communications Hardware Human Computer Interaction Numerical and Symbolic Computing Business Operating Systems Management Information Systems Programming Languages Decision Support Systems Software Methodology and Engineering Business Subjects Networks Computing Mathematics Logic Numerical Analysis Discrete Mathematics Statistics Automata Theory Operations Research Cryptography Signal Processing Computational Linguistics Computational Linguistics Machine Translation In common with the other thematic networks funded by the EU Commission, participation in the activities of the TNC is voluntary and the network has a very democratic and open structure and management style. A prescriptive approach is avoided, not to say anathema. Consensus is sought and recorded on the web site, but so are diverging and conflicting views. At the annual conference each year an attempt is made to summarise and structure this material.. The hope is to establish an evolutionary process which will continually move forward our understanding of how computing/software engineering should be taught. Contributions from academics in the US, Africa and Australia as well as from Europe testify to the potential of this approach. It is reassuring to note that many of the issues of concern to computing academics and professionals in the EU are of interest to a wider audience. The TNC can make a significant contribution to the debate on the formation of a formal profession of software engineering in the EU as it has representatives of academia, national agencies and the computing industry among its members. The strategy papers that have been produced so far have been well received by all concerned. The discussion on professional issues will continue to be a central activity over the remaining two years of the programme and the strategy of placing the emphasis on consensus and incremental progress will be maintained. While much of the material currently available from the TNC is at an early stage of development, I was encouraged to discover through personal experience that it has already achieved some degree of utility. In the last few months I have begun work on the establishment of a computing department within a new third level institution in Ireland, and have found the TNC's material very useful. I expect that the new staff joining the institute will be drawing heavily on this material also. From the count of "hits" on the web site, it is clear that the facility, although still at the embryonic stage, is also being accessed by other academics, particularly from emerging countries. While overall the omens for the thematic network seem good, and there is an impressive level of co-operation among those involved, a number of issues remain. Perhaps the major one is the difficulty in getting academics to co-operate in relation to issues to do with teaching. This is due to a number of factors, including perhaps a worry about the TNC being the thin end of a wedge leading to greater control by bureaucrats in the EU. It can partly be explained by the emphasis placed on research by academics to the exclusion of teaching, administrative and societal issues. Equally, some universities are operating under financial regimes that are only interested in supporting initiatives that produce a tangible and immediate gain. These problems can be helped by including a clause on participation in thematic networks within the institutional contracts for the SOCRATES/ERASMUS programmes, which provide funding for exchanges of staff and students among colleges in Europe. It would be necessary to ensure that the open, democratic, non-prescriptive nature of the TNC would not be damaged by any such change. The co-operation among academics, and between them and industry, which the TNC exists to develop can make an important contribution to the development of education in computing/software engineering, and to the emergence of a software engineering profession. Although things are still at an early stage, the indications are good that the TNC is on the right path. In a few years, it will be interesting to see how it has developed. In the meantime, could I suggest that you check on the material on the TNC website (URL given above) and input your own ideas, criticisms, and plaudits (if any). Then come to the annual conference - there you will be most welcome, and be able to contribute to the evolution of the way in which we teach one of the most interesting and worthwhile areas of human knowledge and capability. Detailed Work Programme 1998/99 EUICC.0 Thematic Network Management Lead Partner Centre for Teaching Computing (CTC) Committee M. O hEigeartaigh, Director CTC M. Ryan, Dublin City University G. Zimmermann, University of Kaiserslautern J. van Amstel, Philips H.-J. Kugler, Q-Labs J. Condon, National Software Director G. Davies, Open University Aims Co-ordinate the management of the Thematic Network (TN) Report to the EU Commission on all aspects of the work of the TN Create a forum for the exchange of ideas and course materials Liaise with related TNs Description Management committee meetings will take place on 17/11/99 (Poznan, in conjunction with Software Engineering Education Symposium), 26/02/99(CTC), 21/05/99(CTC) and 23/08/99(CTC). A mid-term review meeting involving all the partners in the consortium will take place on 27/02/99 and an end of year meeting is scheduled for 23/08/99. A web site has been created for the TN and progress on all its activities plus deliverables is available at www.ctc.dcu.ie/themework The administrative facilities of the CTC are available to facilitate the work of the TN. The management committee will be responsible for Integrating its activities with those of the other TNs Co-ordinating the evaluation process initiating pilot programmes. All partners in the consortium have undertaken to carry out a meaningful evaluation of the deliverables of the TN. Deliverables Following each management meeting, a formal report on progress will be sent to the EU Commission. A midterm review of the work programme will be sent to the EU Commission by 05/03/99 and an end of year report by 01/09/99 EUICC0.1 Dissemination Facility Lead Partner Centre for Teaching Computing Other Partners All members of the Thematic Network Aims Disseminate the work of the TNs to a wide audience Provide input to conferences Description Dissemination workshops will take place at a number of computer conferences in Europe and the web will be used to publicise its work. The TN will also make contact with specialist computer networks and bring its work to the attention of their members. The work of the TN will be a major feature of the 7th Annual Conference on the Teaching of Computing, to be held in DCU on August 24th - 27th, 1998. Deliverables Report on dissemination work. Contact addresses for other networks and conferences. EUICC0.2 Subject Support. Lead Partner Centre for Teaching Computing Other Partners All members of the Thematic Network Aims Create a web based reference point on subject support in computing Develop a repository of supporting courseware in computing Build a reference point that will be updated on an annual basis. Create a forum for the exchange of ideas and course materials in computing curricula. Description At present, there is no central reference point to which computing academics can turn for advice on curricular activities in computing. Equally, there is no forum for discussing issues related to the teaching of computing. The work programme will avoid a prescriptive approach. It will aim for consensus but document disagreements. It will focus on assembling, developing and providing pointers to resources on best practices in the design & delivery of computing curricula. Pointers to good case study material will be incorporated in this work. Simple de facto standards for laying out material will be implemented to allow for cross referencing. Philosophical issues related to individual modules will be included in this work, to facilitate the use of the modules in diverse degree programmes. Other TNs have also addressed syllabus issues and their input will be incorporated in the repository of material, where possible. The work programme will identify existing special interest groups and co-operate with them. The Evaluation Conference on Inter University Co-Operation in Europe in the Field of Computing identified six common degree programmes in computing, based their content in Core Computing (CORE), Computing (COMP), Hardware (HARD), Mathematics (MATH), Business Studies (BUS) or Computational Linguistics (LING). It was recommended that all degree programmes in computing should cover the core modules. The classification is based on the (approximate) minimum content figures in the other domains. The figures are meant to be indicative rather than definitive. Programme COMP HARD MATH BUS LING Other Computing +80% Computer Engineering +40% +40% Computing and Mathematics +40% +40% Computing and Business +40% +40% Computational Linguistics +40% +40% Interdisciplinary +40% +40% Core Computing (CORE) Hardware (HARD) Algorithms and Data Structures Physics Architecture Electronics Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Control Theory Database and Information Retrieval Communications Hardware Human Computer Interaction Numerical and Symbolic Computing Business (BUS) Operating Systems Management Information Systems Programming Languages Decision Support Systems Software Methodology and Engineering Business Subjects Networks Computing (COMP) Mathematics (MATH) Logic Numerical Analysis Discrete Mathematics Statistics Automata Theory Operations Research Cryptography Signal Processing Computational Linguistics (LING) Computational Linguistics Machine Translation At the Thematic Network Conference (ACTC '98) it was recommended that, in addition, reference should also be made to the following in a degree programme. Professional and Ethical Issues. Pedagogic Issues Work Placement Student Projects Deliverables The work programme will build on the work of the Evaluation Conference and the series of Annual Conferences on the Teaching of Computing to develop a web based reference point on computing curricula and supporting courseware, that will be updated on an annual basis. Timetable Mid-term review of support material 27/02/99 Formal review and update of web site 23/08/99 EUICC1 Quality Assurance in European Computing Programmes Co-ordinator Hans-Jurgen Kugler, Sean Golden Aims The work programme is designed to promote discussion on pedagogic issues in computing at third level in the EU and to promote best practices. It sets out to identify the factors that impinge on the quality of the learning experience for students of computing and to devise a strategy for promoting excellence in the design and delivery of computing curricula. The work package will develop, pilot and evaluate quality assurance programmes in computing. It will also address issues that relate to the customisation of course material to reflect cultural and regional differences in Europe as well as the question of access to computer programmes by all citizens of the EU and in particular by those who suffer from a physical disability. EUICC1.1 Self Assessing Quality Assurance Schemes Lead Partners Sean Golden, Marian O Sullivan, Jurick Nawroki Aims To devise self-assessing quality assurance schemes for computer programmes Description There is a need for self-assessing quality assurance guidelines to ensure excellence in the delivery of computing programmes in the EU. To be effective, these procedures should be voluntary and should be perceived by academics and programme administrators as supporting their roles. The reporting mechanism and the level of aggregation of data that supports the reporting process both need to be devised with care. The work programme will examine best practices in this area in both the commercial and academic domain. Recommendations on the indices that should be incorporated in a quality assessment scheme appropriate for third level computing programmes will be devised and a reporting mechanism will be designed. A pilot programme will be implemented and evaluated in the current academic year. Deliverables The work programme will develop a database of best practices and carry out an evaluation study on a pilot programme. Timetable Creation of a database of case material Autumn 98 Implementation of pilot programme 27/02/99 Evaluation of pilot programme 23/08/99 EUICC1.2 Social Issues in Computing Lead Partners Sean Kenny Aims The work package seeks to address issues that relate to the customisation of courseware to reflect cultural and regional differences in Europe as well as the question of access to computer programmes by all citizens of the EU and in particular by those who suffer from a physical disability. Description Many students of computing in the EU use a minority native language. In many cases there is an absence of computer based support tools for these minority languages. In addition, many problems arise in the customisation of course material to reflect cultural and regional differences in the community. The programme sets out to identify the problems that arise in the localisation of courseware in the EU and to initiate work on a strategy that addresses these difficulties. It will identify best practices in this area. The work programme will establish pointers to work being carried out by agencies involved in the field of rehabilitation who help computer users suffering from physical and/or sensory disability. A summary document on this work will be prepared. Contact will be maintained with existing centres of excellence and Thematic Networks with interests in this area. Deliverables A report on the state of the art in localisation issues will be prepared and preparatory work on a strategic document will be undertaken. A summary document on issues affecting computer users who suffer from physical and/or sensory disability will be prepared. Timetable Review of current activities in the EU November 97 Formation of EU partnerships March 98 Preparatory work on the strategy document August 98 EUICC1.3 Collaborative and Semiautonomous Learning Environments in Computing Lead Partners Ioura A. Bogoivalenski, Pavel Slavik, Robert Ward, Jurgen Borstler Aims Survey on existing tools Description A number of collaborative and semiautonomous learning environments have been developed in the EU and are used in computing programmes. In the UK a number of TLTP products, such as Ceilidh and WISDEN, have reached the production stage. Other products are at a piloting and pre-production stage. There is a need to create a reference point for these products and to carry out evaluation exercises to ensure that the products are introduced to a wide audience across the EU community and also to create a research community in this area. Deliverables A reference point for documenting and reviewing products will be created. Timetable Piloting of Learning environments 27/02/99 Evaluation 23/08/99 EUICC1.4 Issues at Pre-University Level in Computer Education Lead Partners Marian O Sullivan, Albert O Cheallaigh, Micheal O hEigeartaigh, Colin Higgins, Les Neal Aims Survey of syllabi on computing and use of IT in schools and colleges Description The work programme will survey published work on the state of ICT in primary and secondary schools in the EU. In particular, strategic issues and benchmarks will be documented. Pointers to syllabi and course material will be identified. The ICT content of teacher training programmes will be analysed and an overview of in-service (life long learning) courses will be undertaken. Research opportunities for teachers in applications of ICT will be reviewed. Issues that affect access to ICT, including gender issues, will be identified and a discussion group will be set up to help draw up recommendations in this area. Deliverables A review of current practice in this area will be published. Timetable Mid-term review 27/02/99 Formal review and update of web site 23/08/99 EUICC2 Inter-University Co-Operation and Innovation Co-ordinator Gerhard Zimmermann, Michael Ryan Aims Support improved co-operation between universities in the domain of computing Identify opportunities for joint courses between universities Promote staff and student exchanges between universities Initiate interdisciplinary actions involving computing Assess the potential for curriculum innovation in computing in universities EUICC2.1 Joint Programmes in Computing between Universities Lead Partners Ted Parslow, Pierre-Arnoul de Marneffe, Ewa Lukasik, Uwe Kastens Aims To examine models for joint programmes in computing between universities in the EU Description The programme will examine models for co-operation between EU universities in the delivery of joint programmes in computing. The ERASMUS scheme, in particular, allows students study in a number of universities and in many instances the degree programmes are jointly conferred by a number of universities. However, in the domain of computing, participation rates in joint programmes are low. The likely reasons for this will be analysed and work will begin on a strategy document in this area. Deliverables A review document will be prepared and work on a strategy paper will be initiated. Timetable Mid-term review of support material 27/02/99 Formal review and update of web site 23/08/99 EUICC2.2 Strategy for Exploiting Emerging Technologies Lead Partners Fintan Culwin, Micheal O hEigeartaigh Aims To evaluate the potential of web based pedagogic tools in computing programmes. To evaluate the potential of videoconferencing and emerging technologies in computing programmes Description The work programme will examine current practice in the use of the web and telematic applications for the delivery of course material in computing. It will also examine how this technology can be exploited for the delivery of student projects and related activities (such as the on-line evaluation of student work). Pointers to best practices in this area will be assembled. Guidelines for exploiting the new technology will be developed and a number of potential pilot projects will be identified. Deliverables A review document on best practices will be prepared and preparatory work on pilot projects will be undertaken. Timetable Mid-term review of support material 27/02/99 Formal review and update of web site 23/08/99 EUICC3 Industry/University Co-Operation in Computing Lead Partners Jan van Amstel, Hilary Doyle, Kester Heaslip, Nancy Mead Aims Analyse the possibilities for establishing joint courses between universities and industrial training institutions. Investigate the potential for staff exchange programmes between universities and industry. Evaluate the scope for co-operation between universities and the computer industry in promoting programmes for life-long learning. Contribute to the formation of the software design profession in Europe. Preamble The educational experience of many students in computing is that they are force-fed through an examination dominated system and then sever all links with the university on graduation. No provision is made for a life long learning component in this model. On the other hand, it is estimated that computing professionals have to learn a new technology every five years. The life cycle time of industrial training programmes is estimated to be 6 months. Universities do not have an understanding of what is happening at the high end of industrial training, and are not involved in this work. There is a need for a forum that will bring together universities, high-end industrial training institutions and national computing agencies to develop an integrated life long educational experience in computing. EUICC3.1 Joint Courses Between Universities and Industrial Training Institutions Lead Partner Jurgen Borstler, Tony Glynn, Paul McGrath, Andrew McGettrick Aims To document models for co-operation between universities and high-end industrial training institutions. To draw up recommendations for enhanced co-operation. Description Throughout the world, many companies run "internal universities" in co-operation with local universities. Various other models of outsourcing of high-end training and academic programmes. The work package will document successful case histories in this area. Many high-end industrial training institutions are interested in extending the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) to their programmes. This raises many issues about accreditation and a strategy paper needs to be prepared in this regard. Deliverables Review document and a strategy paper. Timetable Mid-term review of support material 27/02/99 Formal review and update of web site 23/08/99 EUICC3.2 Life-Long Learning and Professional Development Lead Partner Les Neal, Don Bagert, Oddur Benediktsson, Gerhard Zimmerman, Jennifer Condon, Cliona McGowan, Jan Van Amstel Aims To explore how the university sector, national agencies and the EU software industry can co-operate in life-long learning and professional development programmes in computing Description The work package will review existing models of co-operation in this area and analyse perspectives on likely developments in both the EU and the US. Each partner has a major role to play in this vital work: Universities have extensive research facilities and an environment for delivering high quality programmes National agencies have pioneered work in this area and are the driving force behind developments. The EU software industry is best placed to identify and define practical and professional issues. Preparatory work on a pilot life-long learning programme will be undertaken. This will entail the piloting of intensive seminars which will be delivered jointly in a number of centres in the EU. Deliverables Review document on co-operation in the field. Initiation and evaluation of the pilot programme. Timetable Mid-term review of support material 27/02/99 Formal review and update of web site 23/08/99 Programme Lead Partners EUICC 0 M O hEigeartaigh, J Condon, G Davies, H-J Kugler, M Ryan, G Zimmermann, J van Amstel 0.1 All Partners 0.2 All Partners EUICC 1 H-JKugler, S Golden 1.1 S Golden, M O Sullivan, J Nawroki 1.2 S Kenny 1.3 I A Bogoivalenski, P Slavik, R Ward, J Borstler 1.4 M O Sullivan, A O Cheallaigh, M O hEigeartaigh, C Higgins, L Neal EUICC 2 G Zimmermann, M Ryan 2.1 T Parslow, P-A de Marneffe, E Lukasik, U Kastens 2.2 F Culwin, M O hEigeartaigh EUICC 3 H Doyle, J van Amstel, K Heaslip, N Mead 3.1 J Borstler, T Glynn, P McGrath, A McGettrick 3.2 L Neal, D Bagert, O Benediktsson, G Zimmerman, J Condon, C McGowan, J Van Amstel ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [reprinted from the September and October issues of FASE] From: Don Gotterbarn Next Month's Topic: Software Engineering Ethics Education and Training The December issue of FASE will address software engineering ethics education and training in academe and industry. Discussion of course content and methodologies will be included. If you have any useful educational materials on this subject or successful teaching approaches to this subject that you would like to share with other readers, please send your contributions to the guest editor, Don Gotterbarn at gotterba@etsu.edu. Some topics in this area include: Responsibility and liability for development and implementation; Encouraging and enforcing professional standards - Licensing, codes of conduct and standards of practice; Socially responsible hardware and software marketing; Value and accuracy of data and information; Privacy and monitoring; Security and computer misuse; Internet design and use; and the potential tension between (a) financial goals, politics and personal agendas, and (b) social and professional responsibility. Don Gotterbarn gotterba@etsu.edu +1 (423) 439-6849 fax(423) 439-7119 Software Engineering Ethics Research Institute Professor East Tennessee State University Computer and Information Science Box 70,711 Johnson City, TN 37614-0711, USA ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ By: Don Bagert (Academic/Misc Editor) Upcoming topics Jan 1999: Software Security and Survivability Education & Training Guest Editor: Nancy Mead, Software Engineering Institute Feb 1999: The Guidelines for Software Engineering Education Guest Editor: Tom Hilburn, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical All dates are subject to change. For more information about a particular issue's topic, please contact the corresponding guest editor. Please refer to the article format provided at the end of each issue when making submissions. Here are some of the other topics planned for future issues: * Accreditation * CASE Tools * Curriculum Models * Distance Learning * Software Process Improvement Education * Student Team Projects Please send any suggestions for future topics to bagert@ttu.edu. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ News Items ###################################################################### By: Don Bagert (Academic/Misc Editor) Accreditation: ABET and CSAB Agree to an 'Integration' The following item appeared in the November 5 "Academe Today's DAILY REPORT", which is available online for subscribers to the Chronicle of Higher Education: "AN ACCREDITOR for engineering and technology programs and an accreditor for computer-science programs will merge in the next two years, their boards announced this week. Leaders of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, and the Computing Sciences Accreditation Board, who approved the merger during their annual Board of Directors' meetings on October 31, said that the integration would save colleges money and time by reducing site visits." An item on this subject also appeared in the Chronicle's November 13 edition, on page A12. Several sessions of the Frontiers in Education (FIE) Conference in Tempe, Arizona, USA on November 4-7 included a discussion of the integration. A Letter of Understanding was released to the public on November 2, and was read during a sessions dedicated to the proposed new CSAB computer science program criteria. The Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET (EAC), the Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET (TAC), and the Related Accreditation Commission of ABET (RAC) would remain under the integration, and a new CAC would be added for computer science programs (effectively taking the place of the Computer Sciences Accredition Commission of CSAB). If information systems programs are eventually accredited by the merged entity, it would be through CAC. There was no mention of software engineering programs in the Letter of Understanding. However, a number of questions were addressed by officials of CSAB and ABET in various sessions of FIE concerning the role of software engineering in the ABET/CSAB integration. Here is a summary of the relevant information; however, please keep in mind that no official statements have been released by either CSAB or ABET concerning any of the subjects below. * Previously, both the Engineering Accredition Committee of IEEE and and a Joint IEEE-CS/ACM Task Force had develop software engineering program criteria. [Drafts of both criteria were published in the March 1998 FASE.] The two proposals were integrated, and approved by the ABET Board of Directors on 31 October. * These new software engineering accreditation guidelines are now are subject to a year of public review. It is unclear whether any visits can be made under these new criteria during this one-year period. * Software engineering will be administered under the Engineering Accreditation Commission, with CSAB taking the lead in implementation. * The IEEE criteria were general (for both undergraduate and graduate programs), while the IEEE-CS/ACM guidelines were for undergraduate programs only. It is therefore unclear how Master's degree programs in software engineering (which can be accredited through the EAC as "advanced" programs ) will be handled under the new accreditation criteria. Once again, please keep in mind that the above four starred items are not official statements from either CSAB or ABET. ###################################################################### By: Don Bagert (Academic/Misc Editor) Curriculum: Latest 'Guidelines' Draft Released, Gets New Name The Education/Professionalism Team of the Working Group on Software Engineering Education and Training met in Tempe, Arizona, USA on November 3-4 to continue the development of software engineering education guidelines for undergraduate computing curricula. Among the decisions that were made was to change the name of the project from "Guidelines for Software Education" to "Guidelines for Software Engineering Education". The current draft of the Guidelines can be found at http://erau.db.erau.edu/~hilburn/se-educ/guide.html More information will be supplied next issue with the minutes of the Working Group meeting. ###################################################################### Countries with Subscribers to FASE There are currently there are 860 people from 51 countries and provinces that are subscribing to FASE, according to internet domain codes: Number of Country Subscribers Argentina 6 Australia 40 Austria 5 Bahrain 1 Belgium 3 Brazil 18 Brunei Darussalam 2 Bulgaria 1 Canada 32 China 2 Denmark 2 Finland 3 France 4 Germany 16 Greece 3 Hong Kong 3 Hungary 1 Iceland 1 India 2 Indonesia 1 Ireland 5 Israel 7 Italy 10 Japan 2 Korea, South 3 Latvia 1 Lithuania 3 Macau 1 Madagascar 1 Malaysia 2 Netherlands 5 New Zealand 6 Norway 2 Poland 4 Portugal 3 Singapore 1 Slovak Republic 1 Slovenia 1 South Africa 2 Spain 21 Sweden 13 Switzerland 3 Taiwan 2 Thailand 1 Tunisia 1 Turkey 1 Ukraine 1 United Kingdom 66 United States 543 Uruguay 1 Yugoslavia 1 [Editor's note: Yes, I realize the various relationships that the People's Republic of China has with Macau, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. No international incidents, please!] If I have left off your country, please let me know. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Calls for Participation ###################################################################### From: Don Bagert ASEE Software Engineering Division Organization Update As stated in the October issue of FASE, a meeting to investigate the possibility of forming an ASEE Software Engineering Division of FASE was held during the Frontiers In Education Conference in Tempe, Arizona, USA on 6 November. The consensus was to pursue the development of a Constituent Committee which is required before such a division is formed. For more information on how an ASEE division is formed, see http://www.asee.org/about/html/constitution_and_bylaws.htm#Article6:By A petition to form a Constituent Committee was circulated before and during the meeting. If you were not able to be at the meeting, but do support the creation of such a division, Please cut-and-paste, fill out, and send the statement below to me at bagert@ttu.edu by 1 December 1998. More information about ASEE in general can be found at http://www.asee.org. -- cut here -- I request that the ASEE Board form a Constituent Committee (CC) on Software Engineering, with its goal eventual approval as a Division of ASEE. I am either a member of ASEE, or will strongly consider becoming a member if the CC is formed. Name: ASEE Member Number (if applicable): Email address: Date: -- cut here -- ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Conference Announcements ###################################################################### From: Hossein Saiedian CSEE&T 99 Preliminary Advance Program This is the preliminary advance program for the 12th Conference on Software Engineering Education and Training, to held in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA on 22-24 March 1999. The complete advance program, along with registration information, is scheduled for the next issue of FASE. The conference web page is http://csalpha.unomaha.edu/cseet99. _____ Monday, March 22nd Theme: Professionalism 8:30-10:00 AM Keynote Talk 10:00-10:30 AM Morning Break 10:30-12:00 PM Professional Connections Session Chair: Professor Mike Lutz *K. Sikkel, T Spil, R. van de weg, Replacing a Hospital Information System: An Example of Real-World Case Study *C. Wohlin and B. Regnell, Achieving Industrial Relevance in Software Engineering Education *M. Murphy, Teaching Software Project Management -- A Response-Interaction 12:00-1:30 PM Lunch Time 1:30-3:00 PM Parallel Session 1: PSP Workshop Parallel Session 2: Educational Connections Session Chair: Professor Mike McCracken *S. Mengel and H. Ulans, A Case Study of the Analysis of Novice Student Programs *J. Thompson and H. Edwards, Providing New Graduate Opportunities in Software Engineering: Experiences with a UK Master's Level Conversion Course *G. Ruhe, Experience Factory-Based Professional Education and Training 3:00-3:30 PM Afternoon Break 3:30-5:00 PM Parallel Session 1: PSP Workshop (Continued) Parallel Session 2: Panel Session: R. Vaughn (Chair), M. Abrams, R. Ross, Software Engineering and Security Engineering: An Argument for Merger Tuesday, March 23rd Theme: Training 8:30-10:00 AM Keynote Talk 10:00-10:30 AM Morning Break 10:30-12:00 PM Panel Session: K. Beckman(Chair), G. O'Mary, P. Unpingco, J. Lawrence, H. Walker, Industry/University Collaborations for Software Engineering Education and Training: Tracking and Evaluating Their Growth and Value 12:00- 1:30 PM Lunch Time 1:30- 3:00 PM Parallel Session 1: Workshop Session/Distance Education and Training Parallel Session 2: Tutorial Session/Object-Oriented Software Engineering with UML and Java 3:00- 3:30 PM Afternoon Break 3:30- 5:00 PM Parallel Session 1: Workshop Session/Distance Education and Training (Continued) Parallel Session 2: Tutorial Session/Object-Oriented Software Engineering with UML and Java (continued) Wednesday, March 24th Theme: Curriculua 8:30-10:00 AM Keynote Talk 10:00-10:30 AM Morning Break 10:30-12:00 PM Panel Session: L. Werth, G. Engel, D. Frailey, Current Status of the Joint IEEE-CS and ACM Task Force for Software Engineering Curriculum 12:00- 1:30 PM Lunch Time 1:30- 3:00 PM Parallel Session 1: Workshop Session/Software Metrics: Views from Education and Training Parallel Session 2: Paper Presentation Session /Emerging Connections Session Chair: Professor Peter Knoke *G. Hislop, An Online System Analysis Course *A. Stavely, High-Quality Software Through Semi-formal Specification and Verification *Butler, A Client/Server Case Study for Software Engineering Students 3:00- 3:30 PM Afternoon Break 3:30- 5:00 PM Parallel Session 1: Workshop Session/Software Metrics (continued) Parallel Session 2: Paper Presentation Session/ Real-World Connections Session Chair: Professor Greg Hislop *S. Tockey, Recommended Skills and Knowledge for Software Engineers *W. McMillan and S. Rajaprabhakaran, What Leading Practitioners Say Should be Emphasized in Student's Software Engineering Projects *D. Oliver, Bridging the Gap -- Software Engineering Education in Queensland ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Position Openings ###################################################################### From: Greg Hislop Drexel University College of Information Science and Technology Database Management and Information Systems The College invites applications for tenure track and non-tenure track positions in our innovative and expanding programs in information systems and software engineering. We particularly encourage applicants with interests and experience in databases and data warehouses, systems analysis & design, and networking & distributed computing. Tenure track faculty must have a doctorate in a relevant discipline and are expected to pursue an active research program. All faculty members are expected to demonstrate a strong commitment to teaching. The College emphasizes applied research and we consider experience in industry a plus. Drexel is a privately endowed technological university founded in 1891. Drexel has about 10,000 students, one of the largest undergraduate cooperative education programs in the nation, and many graduate programs oriented toward careers in technical professions. The College has about 1,000 students and offers five degree programs spanning BS, MS, and Ph.D. To apply, please submit a letter of application and resume by mail, fax, or email to Dr. Il-Yeol Song, Search Committee Chair, College of Information Science and Technology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104-2875. Telephone (215) 895-2489. Fax: (215) 895-2494. Email: song@drexel.edu. ###################################################################### From: Ted Baker Florida State University Department of Computer Science Associate in Computer Science Applications are invited for a non-tenure-track faculty position, to serve as administrative aide to the Chair in the Department of Computer Science and to serve in a teaching role in the department. Minimum qualifications include a Ph.D. in Computer Science or a closely related field, or a Master's degree and at least three years of relevant teaching and administrative experience. Administrative experience in an academic CS department is desirable, though similar experience in industry or government could substitute. A high level of personal maturity and responsibility, and experience interacting with people, are both needed. Preference will be given to individuals with a background in Software Engineering. The duties of the position are distributed approximately equally between teaching and departmental administration. The administrative responsibilities are delegated by the Chair of the department, and are expected to include graduate recruitment and admissions, the internship program, training and supervision of teaching assistants, and development of the software engineering curriculum. The university is entering a period of significant growth in computing-related programs, which is likely to require doubling the size of the Department of Computer Science over the next few years. Please send a resume and arrange for at least three letters of reference to be sent to the following address. Ted Baker, Professor & Chair Computer Science Department PO Box 4530 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL 32306-4530 The Florida State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer that encourages applications from minorities and women and complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act. It is a public records agency persuant to Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. The university has about 30,000 students and is located in the Florida capital -- a city of approximately 250,000, surrounded by forests, lakes and farms, and about an hour's drive from the Gulf Coast. It has excellent public schools and affordable housing. The department offers degrees at the BS, MS, and PhD levels. Further information about the university and the department can be found at the web sites: www.fsu.edu and www.cs.fsu.edu. --------------------------------------------------- Florida State University Department of Computer Science The Florida State University is entering a period of significant growth both in Computer Science and allied areas (e.g., computational science). The Department of Computer Science invites applications for tenure-track positions at all ranks. New faculty will have the opportunity to help shape the department's future. Applicants are required to have completed a PhD in computer science, computer engineering, or a closely related field by the date of the appointment. Exceptionally qualified individuals in any area of computer science are encouraged to apply. Priority will be given to applicants with strengths that will contribute to the development of new research groups. We are especially interested in research in: trusted systems (including safety, reliability, and security); computational science (especially visualization); architecture of computing and networked systems; massive data storage, processing, and archiving; other research areas that would be supportive of education in software engineering and computer and network system administration. Selection will be based on evidence of outstanding research accomplishments and teaching ability. Please send a resume and arrange for at least three letters of reference to be sent to the following address. Faculty Search Committee Computer Science Department PO Box 4530 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL 32306-4530 The Florida State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer that encourages applications from minorities and women and complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act. It is a public records agency persuant to Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. The university has about 30,000 students and is located in the Florida capital -- a city of approximately 250,000, surrounded by forests, lakes and farms, and about an hour's drive from the Gulf Coast. It has excellent public schools and affordable housing. The department offers degrees at the BS, MS, and PhD levels. Further information about the university and the department can be found at the web sites: www.fsu.edu and www.cs.fsu.edu. ###################################################################### From: Allen Parrish The University of Alabama Department of Computer Science http://www.cs.ua.edu The University of Alabama Department of Computer Science invites applications for a tenure-track position at the Assistant Professor level to begin August 16, 1999. Applicants must have completed a Ph.D. in computer science or related area before the starting date. Applicants in all areas of computer science will be considered. Evidence of ongoing and potential for future research, a commitment to teaching, and willingness to participate fully in the Department's graduate and undergraduate programs are basic requirements. Outstanding applicants should send a curriculum vitae and the names and addresses of at least three references to: Dr. Allen Parrish, Chair Computer Science Search Committee Department of Computer Science Box 870290 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0290. Review of applications will begin January 15, 1999 and will continue until the position is filled. The University of Alabama is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Women and minorities are particularly encouraged to apply. The University may employ only U.S. citizens and aliens authorized to work in the United States. ###################################################################### From: Alexander L. Wolf University of Colorado at Boulder Department of Computer Science Applications are invited for three tenure-track faculty positions in Computer Science for Fall 1999. Two positions are authorized at the Assistant Professor level and one at the Associate Professor level. Our highest priority is to fill at least one position in operating systems (including traditional OS areas as well as distributed systems, networks, mobile computing, soft real-time systems, and web-based systems). We are also especially interested in applicants in the areas of software engineering, multimedia technology (including electronic commerce, graphics, and related areas), machine learning, databases, and programming languages. However, applications in all areas of Computer Science will be considered. Applicants should show strong promise in research and teaching, and will be expected to have completed a PhD degree by the time of the appointment. The Computer Science Department at the University of Colorado has 25 faculty and about 175 graduate students. It has strong research programs in artificial intelligence, human computer interaction, numerical and parallel computation, software and systems, and theoretical computer science. The computing environment is a contemporary distributed systems environment. The Department is the recipient of three consecutive five-year infrastructure grants from the NSF that support its computing infrastructure and collaborative research among its faculty. Applicants should send a current curriculum vita, the names of four references, and one-page statements of research and teaching interests to Professor Gary Nutt, Search Committee Chair, Department of Computer Science, Campus Box 430, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0430. Review of applications will begin on January 1, 1999, and applications received by that date will get first consideration. Applications received after March 31, 1999 may not be considered for interviews in the Spring 1999. The University of Colorado at Boulder is committed to diversity and equality in education and employment. ###################################################################### From: Xiaoqing Liu THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-ROLLA Department of Computer Science Faculty Positions The Department of Computer Science invites applications for several tenure track positions at the level of assistant professor. Employment will begin August 15, 1999. Qualifications for the position include an earned doctorate in computer science or equivalent before August 15, 1999. Successful candidates are expected to establish a viable research program and to teach at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Applicants are primarily sought in all areas of software engineering, real-time systems, formal methods, user interface, parallel and distributed processing, intelligent systems, graphics, or scientific visualization. Effective English communication skills are necessary. The Department grants the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees and has both undergraduate and graduate students actively involved in research. Current departmental activities are in the areas of software engineering, parallel and distributed computing, distributed database, computer vision, and intelligent systems. The University of Missouri-Rolla is the primary science and engineering campus of the University of Missouri system and, as such, provides opportunities for interdisciplinary research with faculty members in other departments. The UMR Intelligent Systems Center also provides interdisciplinary research opportunities and faculty members may become research investigators in that center. Dual career couples in computer science are strongly encouraged to apply. The successful applicants will be expected to be able to interact with disciplinary and multidisciplinary colleagues. The committee will begin review of applications on February 1, 1999. Applications will be accepted until February 10, 1999. Applicants should sent a vita and a statement of research and teaching interests, and arrange to have three letters of reference sent to: Human Resource Services Reference Number: R52670, R51573, R50063 University of Missouri-Rolla 1202 North Bishop 1870 Miner Circle Rolla, MO 65409-1050 In accordance with U.S. immigration requirements, qualified applicants must be eligible to legally work in the U.S. UMR is an AA/EEO employer. Females, minorities, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 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 ; Academic education, and all other categories to Don Bagert . 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 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). [NEW SUBSCRIBE/UNSCRIBE INFORMATION - September 15, 1998] Everyone that is receiving this is on the FASE mailing list. If you wish to leave this list, write 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 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 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. FASE-TALK is also used by the editors for "breaking stories" i.e. news that we feel that you would want to hear about before the next issue of FASE comes out. (We do this sparingly, though.) As always, there is no cost for subscribing to either FASE or FASE-TALK! Back issues (dating from the very first issue) can be found on the web (with each Table of Contents) at or through ftp at . The FASE Staff: Don Bagert, P.E. -- Academic/Misc Editor, ListMaster, and Archivist 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