Forum for Advancing Software engineering Education (FASE) Volume 8 Number 12 (107th Issue) - December 15, 1998 870 subscribers Note: If you have problems with the format of this document, try ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Table of Contents This Month's Topic: Software Engineering Ethics E&T Additional Material From Last Month's Topic Next Month's Topic: Software Security and Survivability E&T Correction from Last Month's Issue Upcoming Topics News Items Software Engineering Coordinating Committee Formed Accreditation: ABET Software Engineering Program Criteria SIGCSE 2000 Dates, Site Announced Working Group for Software Engineering E&T November 3-4 Minutes Calls for Participation SCI'99/ISAS'99 Computer and Professional Ethics Web Site Conference Announcements CSEE&T 99 Keynote Speakers Announced Position Openings California State University, Hayward Carleton University Northern Illinois University Oregon State University Santa Clara University (Assistant Professor) Santa Clara University (Endowed Chair) Southern Polytechnic State University Stevens Institute of Technology Temple University Texas Tech University University of Skovde The University of Texas at Dallas University of Tilburg Worcester Polytechnic Institute Contact and General Information about FASE ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ From: Donald Gotterbarn This Month's Topic: Software Engineering Ethics Education and Training TABLE OF CONTENTS: 1. Introduction 2. Software Engineering Ethics??- Don Gotterbarn 3. The Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice- Don Gotterbarn 4. An approach to teaching Computer Ethics 5. Web sources 6. Position announcement ========================================== ************************************************ ========================================== 1. INTRODUCTION I want to thank Don Bagert for his invitation to edit an issue of FASE on Software Engineering Ethics. The job of editor is normally fairly straight forward: Define a topic area and issue a call for papers in that area; Set up a standard for judging which papers to include; Review the all the submitted papers according to that standard; and as editor, write a brief introduction to those papers selected for inclusion. My task was even simpler than that since there was only one paper submitted-- a list of ethics resources on the Web. The other contributions are probably delayed because of the increased amount of mail at Christmas time. : - ) In addition to the contributed article, I have included: a short comment on Software Engineering Ethics as the application of values to technical decisions, some comments on the Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice which states some of these values, and selections from a piece on how to teach ethics in a technical class. ===================================== ******************************************* ===================================== 2. SOFTWARE ENGINEERING ETHICS ?? - Don Gotterbarn I think software engineering ethics is a very practical discipline and is a necessary part of the practical education of every software engineer. I base this belief on my understanding of software engineering as a profession and the nature of professional ethics. I think software engineering ethics as a professional ethics actually involves three different levels of ethics. Software professionals must follow the same minimal morality as the rest of society--don't lie, don't cheat, don't steal, don't hurt others, etc.. This first level of ethics consists of a set of ethical values which we share with all other human beings simply by virtue of our common humanity. There is a second level of ethics shared by all professionals, who by virtue of their unique talents owe special care to people affected by the professional's work. There is a third level of ethics which comprises those obligations which derive directly from elements which are unique to the professional practice of software engineering. What does this distinction between levels mean? It means Professional Software Engineering Ethics: 1. is like any other ethics (at Level 1) requiring fair play and integrity. 2. is like any other professional ethics in requiring a special commitment to the public served and affected by the profession (level 2)- an ethical commitment to public well being. 3. is different from other ethics in that it asserts the more specific behavioral responsibilities within software engineering, which are closely related to the state of the art (level 3)- an ethical commitment to quality work. 4. is important to every software engineer and those affected by the work of software engineers. Software Engineering Ethics involves any decision made by a software engineer during the design, development, construction and maintenance of computing artifacts. Learning how to make these decisions is an essential part of the technical education of a software engineer. ====================================== ******************************************** ====================================== 3. THE SOFTWARE ENGINEERING CODE OF ETHICS AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE Don Gotterbarn The ACM and the IEEE-Computer Society have adopted the Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice(5.2). The Code's development indicates a significant agreement about the way software engineers ought to behave and the Code is different from other codes in that it provides a variety of mechanisms to help the practitioner make ethical judgements. The Code was developed by the joint IEEE-CS/ACM task force on Software Engineering Ethics and Professional Practice. The composition of the SEEPP task force is multinational in both citizenship and in membership in professional computing organizations. The development of the Code was an iterative process. The Code evolved after extensive study of several existing codes of ethics from computing societies, engineering societies and other professions. All of the codes considered: try to educate and inspire the members of the professional group that adopts the code; inform the public about the responsibilities that are important to that profession; instruct practitioners about the standards that society expects them to meet, and what their peers strive for and expect of each other. After considering the various goals and functions of these codes, SEEPP selected various imperatives to be placed in the draft software engineering code. They also contributed new imperatives related to their knowledge of software engineering and from suggestions of external reviewers. The draft Code which was reviewed by members of several professional computing societies and went through several revisions.. After this process, the Code (version3) was printed with a turnaround ballot in the IEEE-CS and the ACM flagship magazines. Although most of the clauses in the Code received better than a 90% approval rating, several of the returned comments led to the development of version 4 of the Code. SEEPP submitted version 4 of the Code for review by a panel of peers using the IEEE formal review process for establishing technical standards. The Code passed this review and was modified in the light of reviewer's comments. The final version of the Code (www-cs.etsu.edu/seeri/secode.htm) was approved by the ACM in November and the IEEE-CS in December. I found the consistently high level of agreement about the behavior expected of a professional software engineer very significant. There is general agreement about our obligations as software engineers, even if some software engineers are not able to overcome the external pressures not to follow these obligations. There are several positive elements to this Code which distinguish it from may other codes of professional ethics. Most codes of ethics provide a finite list of principles which are often presented as a complete list and the reader presumes that only things in the list should be items of ethical concern for the professional. In many situations these rules conflict and codes provides no guidance as to which principles should have higher priority. This ambiguity of priority leaves the ethical decision maker confused. The Software Engineering Code address both of these limitations of other codes. The Software Engineering Code explicitly rejects the concept of completeness. "It is not intended that the individual parts of the Code be used in isolation to justify errors of omission or commission. The list of Principles and Clauses is not exhaustive. The Clauses should not be read as separating the acceptable from the unacceptable in professional conduct in all practical situations. The Code is not a simple ethical algorithm which generates ethical decisions. ." The problem with an incomplete Code is that it leaves us without guidance in new situations. To meet this potential difficulty the Software Engineering Code provides general guidance for ethical decision making, especially in those areas not explicitly mentioned in the Code. "Ethical tensions can best be addressed by thoughtful consideration of fundamental principles, rather than blind reliance on detailed regulations. These Principles should influence software engineers to consider broadly who is affected by their work; to examine if they and their colleagues are treating other human beings with due respect; to consider how the public, if reasonably well informed, would view their decisions; to analyze how the least empowered will be affected by their decisions; and to consider whether their acts would be judged worthy of the ideal professional working as a software engineer. In all these judgments concern for the health, safety and welfare of the public is primary; that is, the "Public Interest" is central to this Code." The first principle asks the developer to consider all the stakeholders, not just their employer or client. The second principle--due respect--requires a protection of human values. This section also addresses the question of equal priority of all of the rules by stating that in all decisions the public interest is the primary concern. To reinforce the clear priority of public concern, in several places the code asserts the priority of concern for the public over loyalty to employer or profession. It is a professional obligation to take positive action to address violations of the Code. The Code addresses both the responsibilities of the practicing professional and of the profession. It is a positive step because it is not designed to be self-serving to the profession. It requires software engineering professionals to be ethically responsible to all of those who are effected by their products. ================================ ************************************** ================================ 4. The paper below presents an approach to teaching ethics as an integral part computing classes. The methods presented here are easily adapted to software engineering courses and are consistent with treating Software Engineering as a profession. Selections from a paper published in Computer and Society March 1997. Ethics activities in Computer Science Courses: Goals and Issues Don Gotterbarn & Robert Riser East Tennessee State University In our recent paper, Ethics Activities in Computer Science Courses (Computers and Society September 1996), we suggested some techniques for introducing ethical activities into main stream computer science classes. Ethical/professional issues should be seen in the context of computing professionals practicing their profession. It helps to dispel the perception that such issues are less important or neatly separable from computer science. Covering these issues in main stream computer science classes firmly establishes links between ethical/social issues and technical content, methods, and practices of the profession. In this paper we expand on the first paper in two ways. We discuss some of the underlying goals and objectives in using this integrated approach and we present some additional activities which help achieve these goals and objectives. Learning technical skills is only one part of becoming a fully developed professional. To be a professional involves a commitment to a higher level of care for those who will be effected by our products. The application of values to technical judgements is one of the necessary characteristics that distinguish a professional from a mere technician. This concept of a professional entails the inclusion of particular goals for our courses if we are to train computing professionals. We believe those goals should at least include the: - establishment of a link between social/ethical issues and the technical content of the computer science curriculum by identifying and examining these issues within the context of existing computer science courses - provision of a means for analyzing ethical situations based on generally accepted ethical guidelines, principles and standards, and for responding in a professionally responsible manner; and - to provide opportunities to apply such analyses understanding of the responsibilities of computer professionals to their various constituents - provision of an understanding of the ways computers impact society and the social environments in which they are used. These goals are directed toward particular behavioral objectives for students, including; student socialization into professional norms, student recognition of role responsibilities, and student awareness of the nature of the profession, The specific skills we want to nurture and test include the ability to: - correctly identify the potential for ethical problems in a particular context - identify the cause of these issues and - identify alternative courses of action - select a technically or morally workable direction which can prevent the problem from materializing or resolve the problem when it arises. The ideal goal is to develop an awareness of potential problems and strategies for preventing the problem from materializing in the first place. This requires a proactive approach to ethics. To achieve these goals we believe that ethics has to be approached in a way that emphasizes practice more than philosophical theory. Students need to understand and experience ethics as an applied discipline. It is important to avoid endless unstructured discussions which start with phrases like : Who is to say? , Everybody has a different idea about what is good , etc. When dealing with professional issues and professional ethics, there is a general sense of ethics and ethical values taken for granted in all professions. We can take for granted a non-rigorous sense of ethics. We can presume a knowledge of a paradigmatic morality using some first principles to guide actions, e.g. harm no one needlessly or obey the Golden Rule. A typical set of such principles might start with: a) Value of life (quality of life) b) Principle of goodness- strive to be good, do right i. promote goodness ii. cause no harm iii. prevent harm c) Justice and fairness based on merit, equality, and need d) Tell the truth & be honest. Any claim that has been made in computer ethics can fit into these presuppositions. In several other areas of commerce these principles have been incorporated into law. The ACM, in their code of ethics, adopted these principles to be applied to the activities of computing professionals. When we apply these principles to professional computing some of the ethical issues that need to be discussed include: Professional responsibilities Social responsibility Quality as a moral issue Software ownership and intellectual property rights Privacy Confidentiality Responsibility and liability Professional competence Power; Autonomy, access, and equity Impact on society and the workplace Security and reliability Safety Recently such issues have been discussed primarily in terms of the Internet. But I think this is dangerous to limit the discussion of computer ethics to Internet issues. It is true that because the Internet is the latest and a highly prevalent technology, many of the ethical muddles are being replayed in that arena. But one of the problems with several approaches to computer ethics that I have seen recently is that the Internet is used exclusively as a source for ethical issues. These issues are important, but attention exclusively to Internet issues does not prepare our students for the type of issues they will face as practicing computer professionals building critical systems. MORE ETHICS ACTIVITIES: In the previous paper, we gave some sample activities that could be used in CS1 courses and in project oriented courses. The activities used in those classes can be easily modified for other classes. For example the program using arrays to model a university parking process can be modified to model queues and stacks in a data structure course. Example Modification for Data Structures Course The parking lot example used in the previous paper can be easily modified to use in a data structures course. Like that example, the purpose of this example is to get the students to consider ethical issues related to program design. Using the correct data structures can have ethical significance. This programming assignment is distributed to students as a normal assignment. Distribute the ethics assignment on the day the program is turned in. Distribute the ACM code of ethics along with the description of the writing assignment. When the writing assignment is turned in, lead a discussion on the ethical issues they found. As a way to get them to practice anticipating ethical issues, ask them how they could change the solution to avoid these problems. The program asks them to program an automated a parking system being designed for an annual local festival. Cars enter one of three queues which are dequeued into the parking area only after all the queues are full. No one is admitted to the queues while they are being emptied. The cars are dequeued into the parking lot based on a priority scheme. The cars are parked into one of three stacks. When the festival ends the stacks are popped one at a time until each is empty. There are several ethical issues with the design. The filling of the queues prevents anyone from leaving the area in an emergency. Preventing admission to the lanes (queues) while they are being dequeued causes dangerous traffic on the entrance highway. The priority dequeueing scheme causes traffic to cross several lanes increasing the likelihood of a crash. There is no handicapped access or parking. Using a stack structure in the parking lot prevents any vehicle from leaving early. There can be a good discussion about the programmer s responsibility to explain some of these difficulties to the customer. If the customer insists on this design, what are the programmer s responsibilities to society at large? PROBLEM STATEMENT: (the complete example is available at www-cs.etsu.edu/gotterbarn) ASSIGNMENT GOALS AND GRADING STANDARDS Programming Goals: 1. Write readable well-documented Pascal code. 2. Be able to develop efficient algorithms to solve a problem using basic Pascal constructs. 3. Correctly meet the software specifications. 4. Develop the ability to implement and use stacks and queues in a program. Professional Goals: 1. Apply standards of quality software development. 2. Develop skills which add to the utility and efficiency of the final product. 3 Develop awareness of how different data structures fit different tasks. The Ethics Assignment Associated with this Program: Read the attached ACM Code of Ethics and Professional conduct paying particular attention to the examples of professional ethical concerns in the guidelines. Assume that the events in the programming assignment are real. YOU have been asked by the director of the festival to write this program for the parking facility that they are planning to build. Write a brief but thoughtful essay about ethical issues raised by this programming assignment. How would you handle the ethical problem? NON-PROGRAMMING ETHICS ACTIVITIES Programming exercises are useful vehicles to understand and anticipate ethical issues involved in software development. Studies have shown that peer discussions are the most effective ways of achieving the goals cited above. Scenario Analysis Scenarios and scenario analysis can be used in all courses. The only difference is that the complexity and subject matter of the scenarios will vary to fit the technical content of the courses. The purpose of such analysis is to help the students develop analysis abilities with respect to ethical issue scenarios, including the ability to identify the stakeholders, isolate the relevant issues, apply appropriate guidelines (ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, IEEE standards for testing and software development), identify possible courses of action, anticipate potential ethical problems and recommend appropriate courses of action and policy changes to prevent recurrence. In most technical classes it is easy to provide repeated opportunities to apply these analysis abilities. A Typical Scenario Presentation 1. Distribute the scenario such as one found in Deborah Johnson's computer ethics text about a consultant, Diane. who has a disagreement with her client. Give the class a few minutes to read it. Use the following questions to steer the class in analyzing the scenario. Who are the stakeholders in this scenario and what are their stakes? Be sure they include Diane, Diane's employees, toy manufacturer, employees of toy manufacturer. What responsibilities does Diane have to each of the stakeholders, including herself? What are the essential issues here? What courses of action does Diane have? Besides the obvious extremes (Diane refuses to do the project; Diane gives them exactly what they ask for), make sure alternatives are explored. For example someone is likely to point out that Diane did include the less secure system (which she now considers inadequate) as one of the options presented to the client. Therefore, a reasonable course of action for Diane would be to provide the more secure system but at no (or minimal) additional cost to the client. Introduce general aspects of Rawls' rational contractor theory of justice. In this theory, situations are analyzed by imagining that each person is operating under a veil of ignorance that hides his/her exact position in the situation; i.e. one is unaware of his/her gender, educational level, employment status, etc. These "ideal observers" are aware of all aspects of the situation but are ignorant of their own role or circumstances. This lays the basis for an imaginary "town meeting" involving all stakeholders operating under this veil of ignorance (ignorant of their own special circumstances). The rules decided in such an environment optimize fairness. No one will makes rules which encourage harm or injustice since they may be the ones hurt. Encourage the use of this concept to examine ethical and/or social situations. For example, in this scenario you would be aware of the circumstances of Diane, her client (toy manufacturer), her employees and the client's employees, but not of which of these roles you occupy. This examination of the scenario from the perspective of a rational, knowledgeable observer (ideal observer) facilitates an agreement (a contract) that is beneficial, though not necessarily equal, to all. What should Diane do? Do you have any suggestions for Diane to preventing a recurrence of this type of situation? 2. We suggest that scenario analyses be repeated often in this and subsequent courses. References to some sources of scenarios have been attached. 3. Repeat the analysis with a slight modification that changes some parameters. For example, suppose Diane was writing a system for the United States Missile Defense System. This would change the stakeholders and the seriousness of failed security. How do these changes effect the analysis? A SAMPLE ASSIGNMENT (STUDENTS WORK IN GROUPS OF 2-3) Prepare a 2-3 page, double-spaced, analysis of the attached scenario. Your analysis must: -Identify the stakeholders, their respective stakes, and the responsibilities of the computer professional(s) involved with respect to each stakeholder. -Isolate the ethical issues involved. -Identify the principles of the ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct that are relevant to this scenario? -Discuss various courses of action. Include alternatives in addition to the obvious extreme positions. -Recommend and justify a course of action. -Offer suggestions for preventing a recurrence of this type of situation (e.g. changes in organizational policies) and discuss the immediate and long-term consequences. -Be prepared to give a 10-minute presentation of your analysis to the class and answer questions. VARIATIONS ON ASSIGNMENT: We found it useful to provide the students with a work sheet. The only danger is that some students will think that the worksheet is complete and that when they have finished with a single pass they have done all the analysis that is necessary. Slightly modifying the example used helps to reduce that tendency. WORKSHEET (adapted from Kallman & Grillo) Find the Facts List the relevant facts List the stakeholders Make a defensible ethical decision Isolate the ethical issues Examine the legal issues Consult guidelines Discover the applicable ethical issues Least Harm Rights and Duties Professional Responsibilities Self-Interest & Utilitarianism Consistency and Respect Make a defensible choice Describe steps to resolve situation Options Recommendations Defense Implementation Short term corrective measures SCENARIO ANALYSIS ACTIVITIES It is important to provide some guidelines for analysis. They should initially focus on identifying the stakeholders, their respective stakes, and the essential issues. Once this has been done they can later develop process for analysis. It is good to provide them with several frameworks for analysis (Kallman & Grillo; Collins & Miller). We generally ask them to apply ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (find applicable sections; identify guidance provided by the code). But we want them to go beyond a check list analysis and ask them to do an individual analysis based on their understanding of the intent of the code. A code of ethics is a type of conversation about ethical issues between professionals and society about the consensus on professional obligations. Modeling this view we have them engage in small group analysis and do a presentation followed by class discussion. We also have them do role playing. We evaluate the analysis using the attached form. EVALUATION: SCENARIO ANALYSIS GRADE: 15 writing (grammar, spelling, punctuation, reference formats, and general clarity) NOTE: papers that fail to meet writing competence standards are not accepted. 15 identifies stakeholders, stakes, responsibilities of the computer professional(s) involved with respect to each stakeholder. 10 isolates the ethical issues involved 10 identifies relevant principles of the ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct 15 discusses various courses of action including alternatives in addition to the obvious extreme positions 20 recommends and justifies course of action 15 offers suggestions for preventing a recurrence (e.g. policy changes) an discusses immediate and long-term consequences Advice about scenario analysis: Research has shown that one of the most effective ways to introduce ethical issues into the classroom is through the discussion of case studies among peers in several courses. There are, however, several pitfalls in this methodology. 1. Sometimes the case studies are only tangentially related to computer ethics. Even though they contain significant detail they are much too broad and the ethical issues are so clouded that students cannot get hold of the subject. 2. Sometimes the case studies are so vague that there is no foundation on which to base an ethical judgement. Each listener's imagination ends up filling in their own unspoken details of the case on which they each make different decisions. The result of discussing this type of case can be so chaotic that the audience is led to think that they have just been shown the truth of ethical relativism. 3. Sometimes teachers will only use catastrophic cases such as the Challenger disaster, because they are easy to find and are good attention getters. The EXCLUSIVE use of these cases leads students to think that computer ethics is limited to only these types of cases. Since students don't plan to program life critical systems, they tend to think that computer ethics is not relevant to them. The paragraphs below can form the basis of cases to be discussed in several classes. Many of the case seeds are especially appropriate for software development courses such as software engineering. -In determining for an information system to be used in an employment agency, the client explains that, when displaying applicants whose qualifications appear to match those required for a particular job, the names of white applicants are to be displayed ahead of those of non-white applicants, and names of male applicants are to be displayed ahead of those of female applicants. -Because he recognizes that maintenance of an on-line banking system built for an out-of-town bank will be a time-consuming ongoing activity, a programmer codes into the login procedure a mechanism to allow system-level access by means of a password that only he knows. - Long before system testing is complete, scheduled time and money for such testing has run out. The engineer responsible for testing is advised that the company will "let the users do the rest of the testing." -Knowing that the firm developing a large piece of software for a government agency is unlikely to be awarded the contract to maintain the system after delivery, the company decides to spend less effort on both internal and external documentation. The money saved by this decision is used to pay for additional coders and testers, so that the system can be delivered on time. - A small firm lands a contract to produce software that has a significant database component. None of the employees is familiar with current database technology, but the contract, the largest ever obtained by the firm, is viewed as a make-or-break opportunity. -While his company is negotiating a contract to build a software system for a client, the head designer learns about a new design method and its associated tool set. Because the proposed system is similar to others the company has recently built, it is clear that the firm's "Standard" methods can be applied reliably and economically. The company's business plan, however calls for it to move into the more lucrative market of more complex systems, for which the new design methodology may be required for competitiveness. The designer recommends the cost of the new tools be built into the contract being negotiated and the client be told that the tools are necessary to produce a system of sufficiently high quality. -In a design review, one of the problems identified turns out to be easy to fix. In exploring the problem, however, the designer discovers a related difficulty that can only be addressed adequately by a major redesign. Realizing that the special situations at the root of the problem will seldom arise and will certainly not arise in the first year or so of operation, the designer reports his fix to the original problem, but neither reports nor resolves the more serious problem. - A large computer firm has been hired by a fast-food chain to integrate use of its cash registers into its accounting system. As the client explains his requirements, it becomes clear that his needs can be served more than adequately be an off-the-shelf package sold by a competing software firm. -In a library automation system, the client has asked that a log be kept of materials checked out, so that data on patron needs can be used to make more informed decisions about future book purchases. The simplest way to construct such a log is to copy the full circulation record-including patron name-into a log file at the time the circulation record is generated. Software to analyze this file is to be written at a later time, when funds are available to implement this function. These techniques illustrate ways in which ethical issues can be incorporated into main stream computer science courses and help us teach professionals rather than merely train technicians. References: - Collins, and Miller, "Paramedic Ethics for Computer Professionals," Journal of Systems and Software, January 1992. - Kallman, & Grillo Ethical Decision Making and Information Technology: An Introduction with Cases, McGraw Hill 1994. -"The ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct", CACM February 1992. - Anderson, et. al; "Using the ACM Code of Ethics in Decision Making," CACM May 1992. ========================================== ************************************************ ========================================== 5. ETHICS WEB SOURCES (Laurie Werth & Don Gotterbarn) Below is a list of WEB sources which were effective-- no 404 messages--on 10 December. The list is large and incomplete. ( several url's exceeded the 70 character line limit for FASE so I deleted the "http:". Insert "http:" before each "//" below). ETHICS - CASES - Bibliography on Computer Ethics references used in article, "Using the new ACM code of ethics in decision making" (Communications of the ACM, February, 1993) //ei.cs.vt.edu/~cs3604/lib/Bibliography/Biblio.acm.html - Index to The National Society of Professional Engineers Board of Ethical Review Cases. //www.niee.org/cases/ - Practical Software Engineering lists the 9 cases in the February 1993 ACM article on ethics along with the ACM Code of Ethics. //www.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/courses/451/Ethics.html ETHICS - COURSES TAUGHT - A Gift of Fire: Instructor's Manual by Sara Baase. //www-rohan.sdsu.edu/faculty/giftfire/ - Boise State University Legal and Ethical Issues in Mass Media - Dr. Dan Morris //www.idbsu.edu/comm/cm362/ - Duke University Ethics and the Internet - Wendy Robinson //www.duke.edu/~wgrobin/ethics/ - Massachusetts Institute of Technology Real World Ethics - Caroline Whitbeck //web.mit.edu/course/2/2.95j/ - North Carolina State, Ethics in Engineering - Dr. Joseph R. Herkert //www4.ncsu.edu/unity/users/j/jherkert/mds320.html - North Carolina State University, Technological Catastrophes - Dr. Joseph R. Herkert //www4.ncsu.edu/unity/users/j/jherkert/mds322.html - North Carolina State University, CSC 379 Ethical Implications of Computing - Dr. Robert E. Funderlic //www.csc.ncsu.edu/courses/undergrad/index.html - Ohio State U, Professional Aspects of Electrical Engineering - Kevin Passino //eewww.eng.ohio-state.edu/~passino/ee481.html - Stanford University, Ethical Issues in Engineering - Robert E. McGinn //www-leland.stanford.edu/group/STS/115.shtml - University of California at Berkeley, Copyright and Community: The Future of the Information Society - Peter Lyman and Pamela Samuelson //www.sims.berkeley.edu/courses/is296a-2/f97/ - University of California at Berkeley, Ethics of the Internet - Yale Braunstein //www.sims.berkeley.edu/courses/lis190/f95/index.html - University of South Florida, Ethics & Computing - Kevin Bowyer //marathon.csee.usf.edu/~kwb/ethics-and-computing.html - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Engineering Ethics - Michael C. Loui //www.cen.uiuc.edu/~ece216/home.html - U of Minnesota, Engineering Ethics in Historical Perspective - Robert W. Seidel //www.cbi.umn.edu/coursers/ethicsyl.htm - University of North Carolina, Ethics in Computing, Dr. Edward Gehringer //www.csc.ncsu.edu/faculty/efg/index.html - University of Notre Dame, Electronic Information Processing - Dr. Robert N. Barger //www.nd.edu/~rbarger/capp471syl.html - University of Pennsylvania, Computers, Ethics, and Society - David Farber //icg.stwing.upenn.edu/cis590/ - University of Redlands, Computer Ethics - Ruth Guthrie //newton.uor.edu/FacultyFolder/RGuthrie/courses/r415.html - Washington College of Law, The Law in Cyberspace - J. Litman //www.wcl.american.edu/pub/faculty/litman/cyber/index.html - American University Washington University in St. Louis, Computers and Society- Lorrie Cranor //cec.wustl.edu/~cs142/ ETHICS - CENTERS AND WEB SITES - Codes of Conduct, DePaul's Institute for Business & Professional Ethics, //www.depaul.edu/ethics/codes1.html - Cyber Ethic Policies at the University of New Mexico and elsewhere are listed at //www.unm.edu/~dave/policy.html - Links to Electronic Privacy readings compiled by J.A.N. Lee from Virginia Tech. //ei.cs.vt.edu/~cs3604/lib/Privacy/Privacy.html - Ethics Resource Center, //www.ethics.org/ - Ethics Updates Home Page by Lawrence M. Hinman provides updates on current literature, both popular and professional, that relates to ethics. //ethics.acusd.edu/index.html - Ethics Business Conduct is Lockheed Martin's corporate ethics online information and training site. //www.lmco.com/exeth/ - Ethical and Prof. Issues in Computing, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - resource for researchers, computer science scholars and practitioners, and others. //www.rpi.edu/~johnsd/epic/epic.html - Mike's Privacy (PGP) Page Mike Babcock has put together a site full of links to PGP and privacy issues. //w3.tyenet.com/pgp/ - Web pages created by students from North Carolina State University on computer ethics and www issues. //www2.ncsu.edu/eos/info/computer_ethics/www/ - Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility lists several organizations and societies codes of ethics, such as Software Engineering Code of Ethics, ACM Code of Ethics, etc. //www.ccsr.cms.dmu.ac.uk/resources/professionalism/codes/ - The Cyberspace Poilicy Institute at George Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. //www.seas.gwu.edu/seas/institutes/cpi/ABOUT/fact-sheet.htm - Computer Ethics Information Systems Ethics Cyberethics bibliographies, libraries and videos, Internet-based resources, forums, and case studies. //www.siu.edu/departments/coba/mgmt/iswnet/isethics/index.html ETHICS - ORGANIZATIONS - American Society for Information Science //www.asis.org/AboutASIS/index.html - American Society for Mechanical Engineers //www.asme.org/asme/ - Association for Interactive Media //www.interactivehq.org/ - Better Business Bureau, //www.bbb.org/ - Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility: ETHICOMP ONLINE discussion group. //www.ccsr.cms.dmu.ac.uk/conferences/ccsrconf/eth98-online.html - Center for Applied Ethics //www.ethics.ubc.ca/resources/computer/ - Center For Professional Ethics, Case Western Research Univ., //www.cwru.edu/CWRU/Admin/CPE/cpe.html - Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility //www.cpsr.org/program/ethics/ethics.html - Computing Research Association, //www.cra.org/cr-bulletin/ - Council For Ethics in Economics, //www.businessethics.org/ - The Defense Industry Initiative on Business Ethics and Conduct, //www.dii.org/ - EFF web - The Electronic Frontier Foundation //www.eff.org/ - Electronic Privacy Information Center //www.epic.org/ - Ethical Dilemmas in Computing - Discussion Forum. //cs.joensuu.fi/~ethics/ - Ethics & Business Conduct, Lockheed Martin Corporation. //www.lmco.com/exeth/ - Ethics Center for Engineering & Science, Case Western Reserve University. //ethics.cwru.edu/ - Ethics For Science And Engineering //www.puffin.com/engfnd/ - Ethics On The World Wide Web, School of Communications at California State University, Fullerton. //commfaculty.fullerton.edu/lester/ethics/ethics_list.html - Ethics Updates Home Page by Lawrence Hinman. //ethics.acusd.edu/ - FASE (Forum for Advancing Software engineering Education) //www.cs.ttu.edu/fase/ - FIRST, Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams //www.first.org/about/ - George Washington University, Social and Ethical Impact of Computing, //www.seas.gwu.edu/seas/impactcs/index.html - IEEE Ethics Committee //engine.ieee.org/committee/ethics/ - Information Systems Ethics Organization, Department of Management at Southern Illinois University. //www.siu.edu/departments/coba/mgmt/iswnet/isethics/index.html - Institute for Business and Professional Ethics at DePaul University //www.depaul.edu/ethics/ - International Ethical Business Registry, //www.orca.bc.ca/ethics/home.html - National Institute for Engineering, //www.niee.org/ - National Science Foundation, //www.nsf.gov/ - National Society of Professional Engineers, ethics articles links //www.nspe.org/ - NetEthics Committee-State Bar of Georgia Computer Law Section //www.computerbar.org/netethics/ - The Netcheck Commerce Bureau, //www.netcheck.com/ - SIGCAS, Special Interest Group on Computers and Society. //www.acm.org/sigcas/ - SIGCAS at UIUC //www.acm.uiuc.edu/sigcas/ - Social Issues of Computing, //www.engr.csulb.edu/~jewett/social/ - Software Engineering Institute, //www.sei.cmu.edu/sei-home.html - Software Engineering Ethics Research Institute, //www-cs.etsu.edu/seeri/ - Software Engineering Standards Committee, //computer.org/standard/sesc/ - The Computer Ethics Institute //www.brook.edu/ITS/CEI/CEI_HP.HTM - The Cyberspace Policy Institute (CPI), The George Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Science. //www.seas.gwu.edu/seas/institutes/cpi/ - The Tavani Bibliography of Computing, Ethics, and Social Responsibility, Rivier College. //www.siu.edu/departments/coba/mgmt/iswnet/isethics/biblio/index.html - University of Minnesota, Computer Magazine //computer.org/computer/ - Web Clearinghouse for Engineering & Computing Ethics, North Carolina State //www4.ncsu.edu/unity/users/j/jherkert/ethicind.html ============================== 6. POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT Endowed faculty position at the full professor level targeting people who work in the areas of either software engineering ethics or in network privacy at Santa Clara University. The William and Janice Terry Professorship in Computer Engineering. http://www.cse.scu.edu/news/search.html 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 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ From: Michael Ryan Additional Material From Last Month's Topic [In the November 1998 FASE, Guest Editor Michael Ryan, in his introduction to the topic "Software Engineering Education and Training Outside of the USA, stated that "Next month will include further articles on the situation in the United Kingdom and in Poland." Although the article from Poland has still not arrived, here is the UK paper.] Software Engineering Education in the UK - An Overview Andrew D. McGettrick, Department of Computer Science University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland Abstract The education of software engineers has been a matter of substantial debate and discussion in the UK for some time. The purpose of this paper is to consider certain aspects of this, but it concludes with the view that a re-assessment of teaching software engineering is now needed. November, 1998 1. General Background The history of education in software engineering is related in some sense to the history of software engineering itself. The latter dates back to original Software Engineering conference organised by the NATO Science Committee and held in Garmisch in 1968. The use of the phrase 'software engineering' was seen to be deliberately provocative, highlighting the need to pull together concepts from engineering as they apply to the development of software systems. The emergency of degree courses in the UK, specifically in Software Engineering, is somewhat uncertain. Certainly the Government's Alvey initiative in the mid-eighties highlighted the need for increased attention to software engineering. The ACARD Report of 1986 (see [ACARD,1986]) also served to raise its profile and a number of courses both at postgraduate level and at undergraduate level were launched. (Almost as an aside it is worth mentioning that the ACARD Report recommended the creation of a UK Software Engineering Institute, an idea that was never developed in the U.K.) 2. Software Engineering Degree There was a tendency for the polytechnic sector in the UK to lead the initiative that resulted in degrees in software engineering, not the university sector of the day. The polytechnics tended to have a mission which involved high quality teaching usually with a strong vocational flavour. To attract students (and for advertising purposes) they tended to offer a modular provision which allowed them to efficiently and effectively run a number of degree programmes. Software engineering tended to emerge as a fairly popular choice. The traditional university sector tended to hesitate about offering it as a degree at that stage (though the view has now changed). The arguments took the following form: if software engineering is to be taught properly then students need to understand the machines which host the software; thus software engineers need to understand computer architecture, machine code, communications, etc., they also need systems analysis and design and they must have a perspective on professional issues. In short what would distinguish software engineering education from that of the computer scientist? Even today that question often proves embarrassing for course designers. In the early days of Computer Science education the approach to curricular design was simple. Apart from programming, mathematics, logic, electronics, etc., the development of courses tend to be based on a study of computer architecture, algorithms and the major software components of the day, i.e. compilers and assemblers, operating systems and databases. That was sound. Today of course the range of major pieces of software on even home computers is enormous. Despite this computing courses tend still to have a similar shape. This also applies to software engineering courses though these may include greater attention to a period of industrial experience. In the UK generally there is considerable diversity in the constitutional parts of a software engineering degree. The differences tend to revolve around the underpinning theory, to formal methods in software engineering, data communications, etc., as well, of course, as choice of language or choice of system. Most of them do have a mathematical component based on discrete mathematics, they have a compulsory individual project, they involve group work, an exposure to the design of tools and an element that addresses professional and ethical issues in a considerable fashion. Enlightened approaches to education in Computer Science see this as a new discipline. This follows the work of Denning (see [Denning et al, 1989] and [Denning, 1992]). Then each topic within a degree is characterised by knowledge and understanding, theory, practice, applications and the development of a set of professional attitudes to the subject. There is evidence that in the UK software engineering is in a healthy state. The numbers of courses are increasing and the number of students applying to undertake study in it are increasing. In 1997-8 there was an increase in applications over session 1996-7 in excess of 20%. 3. Professional Certification In the UK there is currently no requirement for software engineers to be accredited or licensed, even if they work on high integrity systems. Nevertheless the issue is in the professional consciousness. At university level undergraduate degrees in software engineering are subject to accreditation by the professional institutions, notably the British Computer Society and the Institution of Electrical Engineers. These bodies - or rather a team composed of distinguished academics and industrialists and with the authority of these bodies - scrutinise degrees and offer accreditation status provided the courses seem well-founded, sound, properly resourced, etc. Such accreditation means that graduating students can become Chartered Engineers provided they complete a two-year period of relevant industrial experience. So formally Software Engineers are finally regarded as part of the engineering community (though there remains pockets of resistance). Currently in the UK there is a Study Group involving industrialists, the professional bodies, and the UK Health and Safety Executive considering the development of a set of competencies for safety related systems practitioners. The purpose of this is to provide guidance to industry generally on the competencies that should be possessed by those working in the area of safety related systems. A significant aspect of this relates to the development of software systems. There is a deep concern that the document emerging from this study should be seen as support and guidance, not any duplicitous step towards formal registration or licensing. Nevertheless there will be interest in seeing how industry responds to the document, and to whether they wish to see some form of formal assessment introduced. This is for the future. 4. Thoughts for the Future Currently there is a wide range of software engineering provision throughout the UK. The implied diversity is to be expected in such a rapidly changing discipline which can accommodate many and varied approaches. Within the UK the Government's Quality Agencies are moving in the direction of introducing 'standards' - whatever that may entail. In devising these standards there is a serious danger that the approach has the effect of producing national curricula. That would be a great pity and a disservice to young people, but it could easily happen. At some stage the introduction of this standard will surely have a highly significant effect on the teaching of software engineering and it could possibly reduce the diversity of provision. As to the subject matter itself, the needs of industry are changing. While there remains a need for those who can develop high quality code, in many quarters there is a shift in emphasis towards the development of large systems. That needs a new perspective, a new approach and new skills. The proper utilisation and acceptance of large software systems will also depend on high quality user interfaces and considerable attention to user needs. Again this heralds a shift in perspective. It has already been mentioned that much education in Computing is based on a view of the subject which is about 20 years old. Why should software engineers not learn about the design and development of word processing systems, spreadsheets, mail merge systems, web browsers, games software, etc., rather than compilers, operating systems, databases. A re-appraisal of the underlying issues is called for. In addition the present software systems are ever more sophisticated and really software engineers ought to understand the architectures behind these, how they are put together and why. All the underlying principles of software integration and software re-use need to be fully understood. At the moment many of these issues scarcely merit any mention in many software engineering courses. In part this is because software engineering is not yet fully mature as a discipline ... and new developments will lead to changes to curricula. But it is also because the rate of change is considerable. Remaining up-to-date, keeping a healthy interest and acquaintance with current trends is time-consuming and problematic ... but software engineering educators need to respond. References [ACARD,1986] Software - A Vital Key to UK Competitiveness, ACARD Report, HMSO, London, 1986. [Denning, 1992] Peter J. Denning, Educating a New Engineer, Communications of the ACM, Vol. 35, No. 12, pp83-97, December, 1992. [Denning, et al, 1989] Peter J. Denning (Chairman) et al, Computing as a Discipline, Communications of ACM, Vol. 32, No. 1, pp9-22, January, 1989. [Thayer and McGettrick, 1993] Richard H. Thayer and Andrew D. McGettrick, Software Engineering - A European Perspective, published by IEEE Computer Society Press, Los Alamitos, California, 1993. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ From: Nancy Mead Next Month's Topic: Software Security and Survivability Education and Training The January issue of FASE will focus on software security and survivability education and training in academe, industry, and government. Discussion of curricula, degree programs, specific course content, and industry/university collaboration in this area will be included. If you have educational or training approaches on this subject that you would like to share, plase send your contributions to the guest editor, Nancy Mead, at nrm@sei.cmu.edu. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ By: Don Bagert (Academic/Misc Editor) Upcoming topics Feb 1999: The Guidelines for Software Engineering Education Guest Editor: Tom Hilburn, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical TBA: Software Engineering Body of Knowledge Guest Editors: Robert Dupuis Pierre Bourque Universite du Quebec a Montreal 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. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ By: Don Bagert (Academic/Misc Editor) Correction From Last Month's Issue Robert Dupuis was left off of the panel description for the Preliminary Advance Program for the 1999 Conference on Software Engineering and Training (printed in the November 1998 FASE. The listing should have read: Wednesday, March 24th Theme: Curriculua 10:30-12:00 PM Panel Session: L. Werth, G. Engel, D. Frailey, R. Dupuis, Current Status of the Joint IEEE-CS and ACM Task Force for Software Engineering Curriculum ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ News Items ###################################################################### By: Don Bagert (Academic/Misc Editor) Software Engineering Coordinating Committee Formed ACM and IEEE-CS have approved the formation of a Software Engineering Coordinating Committee (SWECC), which will represent ACM and the IEEE Computer Society in dealing with software engineering matters. This committee will officially come into being on 1 January0 1999, and be a successor to the Joint IEEE Computer Society and ACM Steering Committee for the Establishment of Software Engineering as a Profession. The SWECC will sponsor and coordinate various projects related to the development of software engineering as a profession. For more information concerning the SWECC, please contact Leonard L. Tripp or Dennis Frailey . ###################################################################### By: Don Bagert (Academic/Misc Editor) Accreditation: ABET Software Engineering Program Criteria In the previous issue of FASE, the article "ABET and CSAB Agree to an 'Integration'" appeared. This is an excerpt from that article: "Here is 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...The two proposals were integrated, and approved by the ABET Board of Directors on 31 October." Here are the actual guidelines, as provided by the Executive Director of ABET, George D. Peterson . (It turns out that the final version is much closer to the IEEE version than the one from IEEE-CS/ACM. Also, it should be noted that this criteria has actually between approved for a year of public comment.) Software Engineering Program Criteria Curriculum The curriculum must provide both breadth and depth across the range of engineering and computer science topics implied by the title and objectives of the program. The program must demonstrate that graduates have the ability to analyze, design, verify, validate, implement, apply, and maintain software systems; the ability to appropriately apply discrete mathematics, probability and statistics, and relevant topics in computer and management sciences to complex software systems. ###################################################################### By: Don Bagert (Academic/Misc Editor) SIGCSE 2000 Dates, Site Announced The ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE) has reported that the SIGCSE 2000 symposium will be in Austin, Texas on March 29-April 2. Nell Dale and Boots Cassel are the general co-chairs and Henry Walker is Program Chair. ###################################################################### From: Nancy Mead orking Group on Software Engineering Education and Training Arizona State University November 3-4, 1998 MEETING MINUTES =============== Attendees: Don Bagert, Texas Tech University; Tom Hilburn, ERAU, Greg Hislop, Drexel University; Mike Lutz, RIT; Nancy Mead, SEI; Susan Mengel, Texas Tech University; Mike McCracken, Georgia Tech; George O'Mary, Boeing; Hossein Saiedian, University of Nebraska at Omaha FUTURE MEETING SCHEDULE ======================= The next meeting will be held in conjunction with the CSEE&T in New Orleans, at Tulane University on March 20-21. KEYNOTE SPEAKER =============== Ben Huey, the Associate Chair of Computer Science and Engineering at ASU, discussed the various undergraduate and graduate programs, with an emphasis on the programs in software engineering. There is a plan for a software engineering concentration within the undergraduate degree programs (not a major). SUBGROUPS ========= The subgroups on Industry/university Collaboration, and Software Engineering Guidelines met separately. Minutes from the two groups are included below. ====================================================================== Software Engineering Education & Training Working Group Industry/University Collaborations November 3-4, 1998 Arizona State University Goldwater Center Room 308 Attendees: Nancy Mead and George O'Mary Agenda for November 3-4, 1998 * Review I/U Working Group report/paper * Review paper vs. detailed interviews * Future Plans: * Paper - submit to conference, journal * Name of paper * SEI report * CSEE&T Panel * What next? Following are the notes and activities that Nancy and George completed during this meeting: * Review I/U Working Group report/paper: * The first paragraph is not historically correct - Nancy will check her notes * The background could become the introduction and provide an outline for the rest of the paper * An abstract is needed (George will get with Greg Cohen and see if we can get some assistance here) ###################################################################### * Review paper vs. detailed interviews: * A suggestion was made - If we make this a report rather than a paper, the report could possibly consist of the paper plus the original surveys and summary plus the follow-up interviews and summary. * A question for all of the Working Group - Is there a problem with using the information supplied by the collaborations in a report? * The paper should state who the collaborations are * Was there a check made between the name of the collaboration and the type of collaboration? * The report should list all thirteen respondents * References are needed: IEEE Software Paper, a reference for Kirkpatrick Model (Nancy or Cynthia may have this), our own CSEE&T '99 Panel * Future Plans: * Paper name - here is a suggestion to start with "A MODEL FOR INDUSTRY/UNIVERSITY COLLABORATIONS IN SOFTWARE ENGINEERING EDUCATION AND TRAINING" * CSEE&T '99 Panel: * Panelists Chair - Kathy Beckman Panel Member Candidates - Perla Unpingco, George O'Mary, Hope Walker, Jimmy Lawrence, Cynthia Parish, Neal Coulter, Mike Lutz (NOTE - the final group should consist of the Chair plus 4 panel members, 2 from Industry and 2 from University) * Subject Matter for the Panel: * Types of Collaborations * Collaboration Process * Success/Failure Factors and Benefits * What Next? - Possible Future Activities * Distance Education: * WEB * Satellite * Technology Transfer/Insertion * What topics does industry want in Software Engineering curricula * On-site education/training * Collaboration to exchange materials/information * Exchange with the European Commission * Internships: * RIT * MSE Studio * GA TECH * ASU * Do more brainstorming (conference calls can be used). Each member of the Working Group should present topics in more depth (1 paragraph) at our next meeting or earlier at one of our conference calls. * Postmortem on the I/U Collaboration work Action Items determined based on the meeting between Nancy and George are: ACTIVITY RESPONSIBLE PERSON(S) DUE DATE Decision on Report All 11/13/98 or Conference Call CSEE&T '99 - Nancy & George 11/13/98 Panel Suggestion to Kathy Finish Collaboration Paper All 12/4/98 Plan/Schedule if we do a report All 12/11/98 Internal Review Nancy & Kathy 12/11/98 Additional Review Neal Coulter, Don Bagert, 12/18/98 & Tom Hilburn Brainstorm New Ideas All 12/18/98 Present/Discuss New Ideas All 1/15/99 Decision on New Ideas All 2/2/99 ====================================================================== Team 2 of the Working Group is concerned with study, discussion, activities and proposals concerning two issues: * the content of the software engineering profession * software engineering curriculum design and development Participants: Don Bagert, Tom Hilburn, Greg Hislop, Mike Lutz, Susan Mengel, Mike McCracken, Hossein Saiedian 1. The Team discussed the feedback about the Guidelines received in the past six months. The comments received were generally favorable. The team decided to change the name of the Guidelines for Software Education to Guidelines for Software Engineering Education. 2. The primary activity of the Team was devoted to the development of a draft of a "curriculum model" for software engineering focused undergraduate degree programs in computing. A copy of an "outline draft" of the curriculum model is at http://erau.db.erau.edu/~hilburn/se-educ/. The Team decided the model needs additional elements: a. organize the curriculum content elements into "knowledge units" b. describe a process that can be use to map the knowledge units into course and curricula. c. develop sample curricula in the following areas * B.S. in Software Engineering * B.S. in Computer Science * B.S. in Information Systems * B.S. in Computer Engineering 3. The Team planned its work through May 1999. (Editorial note: The plan was originally in a Word table. This got flattened in conversion to EMail. The original version is available from Tom Hilburn) Date Deliverable Responsible Party 11/18/98 build "swiki" to support interactive development of curriculum model Mike McCracken 12/15/98 develop 1st draft sample curriculum for SE program & post on swiki Mike Lutz, Don Bagert 12/15/98 develop 1st draft sample curriculum for CS program & post on swiki Tom Hilburn 12/15/98 develop 1st draft sample curriculum for IS program & post on swiki Greg Hislop 12/15/98 develop 1st draft sample curriculum for CE program & post on swiki Susan Mengel 1/7/99 WG posts comments about sample curricula & post on swiki WG members 2/7/98 sample curriculum developers revise curriculum and write rationale for curriculum design & post on swiki Mike McKracken, Mike Lutz, Don Bagert, Tom Hilburn, Greg Hislop, Susan Mengel 2/15/98 write draft process for mapping curriculum design/content concepts into a curriculum & post on swiki To be determined 3/1/98 write preliminary "full" draft of Curriculum Model and distribute to WG Tom Hilburn 3/21/98 discuss Curriculum Model with WG WG members 5/1/99 revise and produce draft Curriculum Model Tom Hilburn After 5/1/98 disseminate Curriculum Model for review and comment WG members ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Calls for Participation ###################################################################### SCI'99/ISAS'99 From: Michel Torres V. via Nagib Callaos CALL FOR PAPERS 5th International Conference on INFORMATION SYSTEMS, ANALYSIS AND SYNTHESIS: ISAS'99 Orlando, Florida (USA) July 30 to August 3, 1999 http://www.iiis.org/isas/ Honorary President: Bela Banathy Honorary Program Chair: Nagib Callaos Program Chair: William Lesso General Chair: Michel Torres MAJOR THEMES * Information Systems Development * Information Systems Management * Management Information Systems * Virtual Engineering * Mobile Computing * Emergent Computation * Communication Systems * Message and signal processing * Human Information Systems * Education and Informatics * Computing Techniques ACADEMIC AND SCIENTIFIC CO-SPONSORS * WOSC: World Organization on Systemics and Cybernetics (France) * The Centre for Systems Studies (UK) * Systems Society of Poland * Society Applied Systems Research (Canada) * Slovenian Artificial Intelligence Society * Simon Bolivar University (Venezuela) * Italian Society of Systemics * ISSS: International Society for the Systems Sciences (USA) * ISI: The International Systems Institute (USA) * IFSR: International Federation of Systems Research (Austria/USA) * IEEE/Latinamerica * Cybernetics and Human Knowing: A Journal of Second Order Cybernetics and Cybersemiotics (Denmark) * CUST, Engineer Science Institute888 of the Blaise Pascal University (France) ORGANIZED BY THE IIIS: The International Institute of Informatics and Systemics. PROGRAM COMMITTEE Integrated by 111 prestigious scholars/researchers from 40 countries (Details at the web page http://www.iiis.org/isas/ or by e-mail request). TYPES OF SUBMISSION ACCEPTED 1. Papers (Research, Review, Position or Report) 2. Panel Presentation, Workshop and/or Round Table Proposals 3. New Topics Proposal (which should include a minimum of 5 papers) 4. Focus Symposia (which should include a minimum of 15 papers) 5. Tutorial Proposal (which should include an outline of it and a brief biography, and clearly indicate whether the tutorial is half-day or full-day duration and whether it is technically or managerially oriented). DEADLINES * January 18, 1999. Submission of extended abstracts (500-1500 words) or paper drafts (2000-5000 words). * March 1, 1999. Acceptance notifications. * April 26, 1999 Submission of camera/ready papers: hard copies and electronic versions. PUBLICATIONS Participants who wish to present a paper are requested to submit three copies of the extended abstract or paper draft before January 18, 1999. Submitted papers will be refereed. Accepted papers, which should not exceed six single- spaced typed pages, will be published by means of paper and electronic proceedings. Selected papers will be included by the International Institute of Informatics and Systemics, in the CD-ROM Extended Encyclopedia of Systemics, Informatics and Cybernetics, whose development is presently in progress. The full paper should be sent via internet and by means of diskette and photoready hard copies of artwork, not later than April 26, 1999. EXTENDED ABSTRACTS AND PAPER DRAFTS SUBMISSION FORM Extended abstracts or paper drafts should be send according the following format: 1. Conference title: ISAS'99. 2. Paper title. 3. Extended abstract of 500 to 1500 words and paper drafts of 2000 to 5000 words, in English. 4. Author or co-authors with names, addresses, telephone number, fax number and e-mail address. 5. Major theme of the paper, according the major themes given above. Extended abstracts or paper drafts should be sent via Internet, preferentially through the conference web page, or by means of the e-mail, simultaneously to WMSCI99@aol.com and to Error! Bookmark not defined. (Nagib casa & Esteban) Exceptionally, extended abstracts or paper drafts might be sent to the following postal mail address or faxed to the following numbers: IIIS, ISAS'99. 6220 S. Orange Blossom Trail, Suite 173. Orlando, FL 32809, USA Fax Numbers: 1-407-8566274 (Orlando, USA) or (Caracas,Venezuela) +58(2) 9621519 ACTIVE PARTICIPATION Those interested in participating in the: * Program Committee. * Organizing Committee, * The organization of a Focus Symposium, * Organizing/Chairing Session on new, or existing topics. Please contact the General Chair Michel Torres. E-mail: mtorr@sagi.ucv.edu.ve CONFERENCE CONTACTS: Michel Torres (General Chair): USA Phone: 1 (407) 888-2225 USA Fax: 1 (407) 856-6274 Venezuela Tel/Fax (office): +58 (2) 9621519. E-mail: mtorr@sagi.ucv.edu.ve (Academic) Conference secretariat: Jenia Bezada E-mail: nacallao@telcel.net.ve Other contacts are given in the Conference Web Page. INVITED SESSIONS To organize an invited session for ISAS'99, the following steps are suggested: 1) Identify a special topic is in the scope of ISAS'99. You may contact the general chair, the program chair or other program committee members, on the suitability of the topic, if it is not included in the Conference Program. 2) Contact researchers or practitioners in your field to see if they can contribute a paper to your proposed session and attend ISAS'99. 3) Collect the extended abstracts or the paper drafts from each prospective invitee. 4) Write a summary (1-2 page) on the session's significance and coherence of the invited/selected papers. 5) Mail the invited session proposal including a summary and copy of all abstracts before, April 26, 1999 to Michel Torres, the General Chair. CONFERENCE FEES The conference fees will be $300 before April 26, 1999 and $350 after April 26, 1999. This fee will include: * A CD-ROM version of the proceedings. * One volume of the hard copy version of the Conference Proceedings. (Other volumes will be available with a 30% of discount for participants). * Coffee breaks. * Welcome Reception. BEST PAPERS WILL BE SELECTED FOR AWARDS AND RECOMMENDED FOR JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS. MULTIPLE AUTHORS BOOKS WILL BE PUBLISHED BY IIIS, BASED ON BEST- INVITED SESSIONS, BEST FOCUS SYMPOSIA OR BEST MINI-CONFERENCES. More details can be found at the Conference web page (http://www.iiis.org/isas/) or a detailed Call for Papers could be requested by e-mail (nacallao@ telcel.net.ve). Answers to specific questions can be requested also by e-mail. ###################################################################### From: Laurie Werth Computer and Professional Ethics Web Site My students are compiling a web site for faculty and students of Computer and Professional Ethics. While we plan to beautify and fill in some holes over the break, we would like to get some preliminary feedback from FASE readers. The Computer Ethics site provides links to useful web pages for a "Computer Ethics" style of class. Professional Ethics is primarily related to the work of the Joint Task Force for the Establishment of Software Engineering as a Profession: Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (there must be better information than this out there), Software Engineering Education, SE Standards of Practice and general information on professionalism. We plan to update this as new information becomes available so that this type of information can be found in a single location. The URL is http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/ethics Looking forward to your input, Laurie Honour Werth Department of Computer Sciences The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX 78712-1188 Phone: 512-471-9535 Fax: 512-471-8885 email: lwerth@cs.utexas.edu ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Conference Announcements ###################################################################### By: Don Bagert via Hossein Saiedian CSEE&T 99 Keynote Speakers Announced Among the keynote speakers for the 12th Conference on Software Engineering Education and Training (CSEE&T) are Doris L. Carver of Louisiana State University and Leonard L. Tripp of Boeing, who are the Presidents of the IEEE Computer Society for 1998 and 1999, respectively. CSEE&T 99 will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA on March 22-24. For more information, see the conference web page at http://csalpha.unomaha.edu/cseet99. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Position Openings ###################################################################### From: Eddie Reiter California State University, Hayward Faculty Positions in Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Networks California State University, Hayward invites applications for three tenure-track appointments in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science: one position in Computer Engineering, one in Software Engineering, and one in Computer Networks. All three positions are at the Assistant Professor rank and are effective Fall 1999. Candidates for these positions must exhibit the competence and potential for excellent teaching and research and for leadership in curricular development and in industrial/academic collaborative efforts. For full details of our programs and of the positions offered, consult www.mcs.csuhayward.edu (e-mail: ce-search@mcs.csuhayward.edu, se-search@mcs.csuhayward.edu or cn-search@mcs.csuhayward.edu) COMPUTER ENGINEERING (Position #98-99 COMPENGINEER-TT): Applicant must hold a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a closely related area, should have a good general background in Computer Engineering, and should have expertise in areas that complement those of the present faculty. See the web posting for a list of areas of interest. A degree in a related engineering field is required, and a general background in electrical or electronic engineering and experience in educational program development are also desirable. COMPUTER SCIENCE (SOFTWARE ENGINEERING) (Position #99-00 MCS-SOFTWARE-TT): Applicant must hold a Ph.D. in Computer Science or a closely related area. Areas of technical expertise must include software engineering. This new faculty member will develop and teach courses at both the undergraduate and master's degree levels. COMPUTER SCIENCE (COMPUTER NETWORKS) (Position #99-00 MCS- NETWORKS- TT): Applicant must hold a Ph.D. in Computer Science or a closely related area. Areas of technical expertise include analysis, design, and implementation of data communication networks and distributed systems. This new faculty member will develop and teach courses in the Computer Science B.S. and M.S. degree programs as well as the interdisciplinary M.S. degree program in Telecommunications Systems. Send resume and arrange to have three letters of reference sent to CE Search Committee, SE Search Committee or CN Search Committee; Dept. of Math/CS; Cal State University, Hayward; Hayward, CA 94542-3092. Review of applications will begin January 1, 1999. CSUH, situated in the hills overlooking the San Francisco Bay, is an EOE, committed to its mission of "Educational excellence for a diverse society". _____________________________________ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Edna E. (Eddie) Reiter Dept. of Math. and Computer Science (510) 885-3414 CSU Hayward (925) 284-3358 (home) Hayward, CA 94542 reiter@csuhayward.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ###################################################################### From: Dorina Petriu Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada Department of Systems and Computer Engineering Applications are invited for tenure-track positions at the Assistant Professor level in the Department of Systems and Computer Engineering to commence July 1, 1999. These positions are subject to budgetary approval. The department is launching a new Bachelor of Engineering degree program in Software Engineering in 1999 and has a strong graduate research program in the field. Applicants must have a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering or Computer Science or equivalent disciplines. Membership or eligibility for membership in a Canadian professional engineering association is desirable. Candidates should be ready to teach undergraduate and graduate courses, and have demonstrated capability in research, in one or more of the following areas: (1) software engineering, including software architecture, development methodologies, object-oriented techniques, software quality, testing, maintenance, and systems analysis; (2) network computing and operating systems, middleware; (3) microprocessor systems, real time systems, embedded systems and software/hardware interfaces. Candidates with research strengths in other software related areas, such as human-computer interaction, databases, knowledge-based systems, and multimedia are also welcome. The department takes full advantage of the high concentration of industry, government and university information technology-oriented research and development in the Ottawa area. It has a strong track record of research collaboration with many of the area's software and communications industries. It is a major participant in CITO (Communications and Information Technology Ontario), CITR (Canadian Institute for Telecommunications Research) and other research consortia. Preference will be given to candidates with a track record of teaching, research, collaboration with industry and the ability to attract research funding. More information on the department is available from its web page at http://www.sce.carleton.ca. Applications, with a curriculum vitae and the names of three referees should be sent to: Dr. R.A. Goubran, Chair Department of Systems and Computer Engineering Carleton University 1125 Colonel By Drive Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6 Telephone: (613) 520-5742 Fax: (613) 520-5727 Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Applications will be accepted as long as positions remain unfilled. Carleton University is committed to equality of employment for women, aboriginal peoples, visible minorities, and disabled persons. Persons from those groups are encouraged to apply. ###################################################################### From: Rodney Angotti Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University Department of Computer Science The Department of Computer Science at Northern Illinois University invites applications for a tenure-track position at the Assistant Professor level. Applicants are sought in all areas, but software engineering, networking, or database experience is desirable. Candidates should have a Ph.D. in Computer Science or a closely related discipline and have a strong interest in both teaching and research. Remuneration is commensurate with qualifications and experience. Pending funding a second position for candidates meeting the above criteria may also be available. Computing facilities include PCs networked via Ethernet LAN Architecture with an ATM backbone, an IBM 9672-RB4 CMOS Enterprise Server running MVS, SUN workstations, and two SPARC 1000 computing systems. Information about the department and Northern Illinois\ University can be obtained by consulting the department's homepage, www.cs.niu.edu. Interested candidates should submit curriculum vitae to: Rodney Angotti, Chair, Department of Computer Science, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois 60115; e-mail angotti@cs.niu.edu. Application review will begin February 15, 1999 and continue until position is filled. Northern Illinois University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. ###################################################################### From: Gregg Rothermel Oregon State University Department of Computer Science Corvallis, Oregon Anticipating a period of rapid growth, the Dept. of Computer Science at OSU invites applications for tenure-track faculty positions at the rank of assistant professor, with appointments to begin in September, 1999. Applicants must hold or be completing a Ph.D. in computer science or a closely related field. Their records should show clear promise for innovative research and teaching in areas related to networking, multimedia, data mining, human factors engineering, software and systems engineering, or architecture. Exceptional candidates in other areas will also be considered. Candidates whose research complements the department's existing research strengths are particularly desirable. Successful applicants can expect to participate in a vigorous expansion of the faculty and in the development of new research and instructional programs. To apply, send a complete resume, a statement of research interests, and at least three sealed letters of recommendation (e-mail is acceptable) to: Faculty Search Committee Department of Computer Science Oregon State University 303 Dearborn Hall Corvallis, Oregon 97331-3202 Phone: 541-737-3273 E-mail: sheryl@cs.orst.edu URL: html://www.cs.orst.edu Review of applications will begin January 4, 1999. Positions will remain open until filled. OSU is one of only ten American universities to hold the Land Grant, Sea Grant, and Space Grant designation and is one of two universities in the Pacific Northwest to achieve Carnegie Research I status. OSU is located in Corvallis, a community of 49,000 people situated in the Willamette Valley between Portland and Eugene. Ocean beaches, lakes, rivers, forests, high desert, and the rugged Cascade and Coast Ranges are all within a 100-mile drive of Corvallis. Approximately 11,000 undergraduate and 3,000 graduate students are enrolled at OSU, including 1,200 U.S. minority students and 1,800 international students. The University has an institution-wide commitment to diversity and multiculturalism, and provides a welcoming atmosphere with unique professional opportunities for leaders who are women and/or people of color. All are encouraged to apply. OSU is an AA/EEO employer and has a policy of being responsive to dual-career needs. ###################################################################### From: Dan Lewis Santa Clara University (Assistant Professor) Santa Clara University Department of Computer Engineering The Department of Computer Engineering at SCU invites applications for a tenure-track appointment at the assistant professor level in, but not limited to, the areas of software engineering, computer networks, or real-time systems. SCU (http://www.scu.edu) is a private, Jesuit university located in the heart of Silicon Valley. It was established in 1851 as the first 4-year college in California. The University enrolls about 4000 undergraduates and 4000 graduate students. The department (http://www.cse.scu.edu) offers BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees, has ten full-time and forty adjunct faculty, and about 165 undergraduate and 350 graduate students. The department aspires to combine the University's Jesuit tradition of competence, conscience, and compassion with a Silicon Valley entrepreneurial spirit to educate engineers who, by their personal lives and by their professional activities, will make a strong positive impact on their communities and the world. Candidates should have a doctorate in computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, or a related field, and a demonstrated potential for quality research, as well as dedication to excellence in teaching and service. Send a curriculum vitae, a brief statement of research interests with copies of three publications and the names, addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses of four references to: Dr. Dan Lewis (dlewis@scu.edu), Chair, Department of Computer Engineering, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA 95053. Santa Clara University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. ###################################################################### From: Dan Lewis Santa Clara University (Endowed Chair) The William and Janice Terry Professorship in Computer Engineering Santa Clara University invites applications for the William and Janice Terry Professorship in Computer Engineering in the area of either software engineering ethics or network privacy. Candidates should have a Ph.D. in computing, an exceptional record as a teacher-scholar suitable for appointment at the level of full professor, and a commitment to enhancing the distinctive mission and quality of Santa Clara University. The Terry Professor is expected to integrate creative scholarship with teaching and other areas of learning, to be collegial and collaborative with students and faculty, and strive to incorporate the intellectual foundations as well as pragmatic and ethical questions in teaching and scholarship. Santa Clara University (http://www.scu.edu) is a private, Jesuit university located in the heart of Silicon Valley. It was established in 1851 as the first 4-year college in California. The University enrolls about 4000 undergraduates and 4000 graduate students. The department http://www.cse.scu.edu) offers BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees, has 10 full-time and 40 adjunct faculty, and about 200 undergraduate and 350 graduate students. The department aspires to combine the University's Jesuit tradition of competence, conscience and compassion with a Silicon Valley entrepreneurial spirit to educate engineers who by their personal lives and by their professional activities will make a strong positive impact on their communities and the world. Send a curriculum vitae, a brief description of current research with copies of three publications and the names, addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses of four references to Dr. Dan Lewis (dlewis@scu.edu), Chair, Department of Computer Engineering, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA 95053. Santa Clara University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. ###################################################################### From: Jorge Diaz Southern Polytechnic State University Academic Positions Southern Polytechnic State University Computer Science Department Applications are invited for several tenure track positions (subject to budgetary approval) beginning August 1999. Appointments will be at the Assistant Professor level; however, exceptionally qualified candidates may be considered for appointments at the Associate/Full Professor level. Applicants should have a Ph. D. in computer science, software engineering, or a closely related field, commitment to quality teaching, an interest in directing student theses/projects, commitment to service and scholarship, and expertise in one or more of the following specialization areas: software quality and process improvement, software metrics, real-time embedded software, information systems, and software architecture. Qualified candidates in other areas of software engineering may also be considered. Preference will be given to applicants with documented teaching excellence (industrial experience and PSP training a plus). Successful candidates will be required to teach both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Southern Polytechnic is a state university in the University of Georgia system located approximately 15 miles north of Atlanta. SPSU is primarily a teaching institution with activities in applied research, distance learning, and industry related projects. The CS department offers BA, BS, and MS degrees in CS, an MS degree in Software Engineering, and certificates in Programming and Software Engineering. Qualified applicants should send a letter of interest, vita including three references, and unofficial transcripts of all university-level work. Screening of applications begins February 1, 1999 and continues until the positions are filled. Please send applications to Dr. Hassan Pournaghshband, Chair, Computer Science Search Committee, Southern Polytechnic State University, 1100 South Marietta Parkway, Marietta, GA 30060-2896 . SPSU is an AA/EO employer. Minorities and women are encouraged to apply. ###################################################################### From: Stephen Bloom Stevens Institute of Technology Department of Computer Science Faculty Positions Stevens has three tenure-track positions available at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science starting in September 1999. The Department has ten full-time faculty, and more than a dozen part time faculty. It offers BS, MS and Ph.D. degrees. In particular, we are seeking outstanding candidates in software engineering, computer graphics, data mining computer architecture, but candidates in all other areas of computer science will also be considered. Successful candidates are expected to pursue an active research program, perform both graduate and undergraduate teaching and supervise graduate students. Prospective faculty can look forward to a research environment in which collaboration with industry is encouraged. Stevens is located in Hoboken, NJ, across the Hudson River from the Empire State Building in Manhattan. Salary and rank will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Special compensation is available for people with exceptional qualifications. Applicants should send a curriculum vitae, list of publications, and a statement of current and planned research. Also, candidates should arrange to have at least three letters of recommendation sent by postal mail or e-mail to: Stephen L. Bloom, Director Department of Computer Science Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ 07030 E-mail: bloom@cs.stevens-tech.edu Stevens Institute of Technology is an Equal Opportunity Employer. ###################################################################### From: Elliot B. Koffman Temple University Department of Computer and Information Sciences We anticipate tenure-track positions in the areas of distributed systems, software engineering, networks, and databases. Applicants should hold a Ph.D. in Computer Science or Information Systems. Candidates will be selected based on their ability to contribute to strong undergraduate and graduate instructional programs, while contributing to a growing research program. Salaries are highly competitive and will be determined by the appointee's experience, evidence of research potential, and record of scholarly achievement. The CIS Department offers programs through the College of Science and Technology and through the School of Business and Management leading to the Bachelors, Masters, and Ph.D. degrees. The Ph.D. in Computer & Information Sciences provides exciting opportunities for faculty to participate in a truly multi-disciplinary program. Temple University, a member of the Pennsylvania Commonwealth System of Higher Education, is located in Philadelphia and serves a highly diverse population of 27,000 students. Temple University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and specifically encourages applications from women and minorities. Additional information about the department is available at http://www.cis.temple.edu. To apply, submit curriculum vitae, and bibliography to: Professor Elliot B. Koffman Chair, Faculty Search Committee Temple University (038-24) Department of Computer & Information Sciences Rm. 311, 1805 N. Broad St. Philadelphia, PA 19122-6094 Email: koffman@cis.temple.edu ###################################################################### From: John K. Antonio Texas Tech University Department of Computer Science The Department of Computer Science invites applications for one or more tenure track positions at the rank of assistant or associate professor, to begin employment in the fall of 1999. Of special interest are candidates in software and computer engineering. Other areas of interest include databases, distributed and high performance computing, intelligent systems, and programming languages. Applicants at the assistant professor level must have the requirements for the Ph.D. in computer science or a related field completed before employment, and should demonstrate clear potential for effective teaching and research. Applicants at the associate professor level should have a proven record of scholarly accomplishments, including a strong record of publications and funded research. The department is committed to being a nationally recognized program in the computing field. The Department of Computer Science is within the College of Engineering, and offers B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees. The department participates in both an EE/CS dual degree program and a Computer Engineering program in conjunction with the Department of Electrical Engineering, as well as dual degrees with both Chemical Engineering and Mathematics. An M.S. degree in Software Engineering was recently approved by the Board of Regents and is awaiting final approval by the state. At present, there are over 500 undergraduate and 80 graduate students in computer science degree programs. The graduate Computer Science program offers specialties in computer engineering, software engineering, and intelligent systems. Faculty perform scholarly and funded research in many areas, including: distributed computing and modeling; graphics and haptics; high performance computing; multimedia systems; neural networks; real-time systems; software development environments; and software metrics. Information about the department, college, university, and the City of Lubbock can be found at www.cs.ttu.edu/FacSearch/. Applicants should send a letter expressing interest in the position, a detailed resume, and the names and addresses of three professional references to: John K. Antonio, Search Committee Chairperson, Department of Computer Science, PO Box 43104, Texas Tech University, Lubbock TX 79409-3104. All questions should be directed to antonio@ttu.edu. Applications will be reviewed as they are received, until the positions are filled. Applicants must be able to lawfully accept employment in the United States. Texas Tech University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer. ###################################################################### From: Anne Persson University of Skovde The department of Computer Science at Hogskolan i Skovde, Sweden, has a total of 500 full time students each following one of six B.Sc. programmes: Information Systems, Business Information Systems, Cognitive Science, Software Engineering, Systems Programming and finally Computer Science. The department also runs a research oriented M.Sc. programme targeted for our top undergraduate students. The department employs 40 academic staff of whom 20 are professors and lecturers and 20 are teachers and Ph.D. students. Research is carried out in several areas: Database Systems, Distributed Real-Time Systems, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Information Systems, Artificial Intelligence and Bioinformatics. The department has extensive research collaboration with several renowned Swedish and international universities. Four Chairs in Computer Science * Artificial Intelligence, diary number 304-98-42 * Human-Computer Interaction, diary number 305-98-42 * Information Systems Development, diary number 306-98-42 * Software Engineering, diary number 307-98-42 All chairs are in research areas which have been given high priority by the University board. Substantial future resources have therefore been reserved by the board. The appointees will be scientists and lecturers, with a high standing also in leadership and organisation. The appointment will be made by the Vice-Chancellor, on the recommendation of the Appointment Committee. The preferred applicant will be a scientist with a good international reputation in research, with administrative experience, and with experience in supervising postgraduate and doctoral students. The applicants' qualifications will be systematically assessed according to the Qualifications Portfolio for academic appointments at Hogskolan i Skovde. The portfolio is available on request from the Registrar, phone +46-500-46 46 06. Hogskolan i Skovde particularly encourages applications from women. For further information, please contact the Head of the Department, Stig Emanuelsson, Department of Computer Science, phone +46-500-46 47 44 or +46-500-46 47 45, fax +46-500-46 47 25, e-mail stig@ida.his.se Please send your application together with the following documents in quadruplicate: a) curriculum vitae b) verified list of qualifications c) a description of scientific and pedagogic experience. d) documentation of administration and leadership experience e) an outline of plans for future research f) a complete list of publications g) reprints of 10 selected publications (of your own choice), and at least five from the last three years. Application documents (all written in English) should be submitted in four identical copies for forwarding to the external experts on the Appointment Committee. The application and the list of publications must be received by The Registrar, Hogskolan i Skovde, Box 408, S-541 28 Skovde, Sweden, no later than December 7, 1998. All other documents should be recived no later than December 21, 1998. _________________________________ Anne Persson (anne@ida.his.se) Dept of Computer Science University of Skovde PO Box 408, S-541 28 Skovde SWEDEN tel +46 500 464742 http://www.his.se/ida/~anne/ _________________________________ ###################################################################### From: Lawrence Chung The University of Texas at Dallas THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS COMPUTER SCIENCE PROGRAM TENURE - TRACK POSITIONS The Computer Science Program of the University of Texas at Dallas invites applications for tenure track faculty positions at all levels, starting September 1999. The successful candidates will be selected from applicants with strong research programs in systems areas including Software Engineering, Data Bases, Telecom Software, Network Management, Multimedia Systems, and Real-Time Systems. Candidates must have a Ph.D. degree in Computer Science, or equivalent. Candidates for junior positions should show strong potential for excellent teaching and research; candidates for senior positions should have a strong record of research, teaching, and external funding. The Computer Science Program offers the Ph.D. degree in Computer Science and has Master's degrees in CS with Major in Software Engineering as well as tracks in Telecommunications, and Traditional Computer Science. We have experienced very rapid growth in enrollment in recent years. The University is located in the most attractive suburbs of the Dallas metropolitan area. There are over 250 high-tech companies within 10 miles of the campus, including Texas Instruments, Nortel, Alcatel, Ericcson, DSC, Nokia, Fujitsu, MCI, EDS, and Perot Systems. Almost all the country's leading telecommunication's companies have major research and development facilities in our neighborhood. Opportunities for joint university-industry research projects and consulting are excellent. In addition to individual faculty workstations, the department has six computer/research laboratories, equipped with high performance workstations and high-end PCs. The Academic Computer Center supports both UNIX based workstations and PCs. Computers on campus are connected via Ethernet and have access to Internet. Students and faculty have dial-in access to campus computing facilities. Currently the Computer Science department has twenty tenured/tenure track faculty and eight senior lecturers. The potential for growth is excellent. For more information, contact Dr. Simeon Ntafos, chair of the Search Committee, at 972-883-2809 or 972-883-2808, send e-mail to ntafos@utdallas.edu, or view the Internet Web page at http://www.utdallas.edu/dept/cs/. The search committee will begin evaluating applications on January 1, 1999 and will continue until the positions are filled. Applicants should mail their resume with a list of at least five academic or professional references as soon as possible to: Academic Search # 733 The University of Texas at Dallas, P.O. Box 830688, M/S MP1.2 Richardson, TX 75083-0688. The University of Texas at Dallas is an Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action employer and strongly encourages applications from candidates who would enhance the diversity of the University's faculty and administration. ###################################################################### From: Wilhelm (Willi) Hasselbring University of Tilburg TENURE-TRACK ASSISTANT PROFESSORSHIPS Department of Information Systems & Computer Science, Univ. of Tilburg, The Netherlands Applications are invited for four tenure-track assistant professorships beginning in 1999. One position is in the area of Computer Science (vacancy number 300.98.27), and one in the area of Information Management (vacancy number 300.98.28). The Department of IS/CS is a well established, very international department which offers MS and PhD degrees. The department comprises a talented group of young and dynamic researchers with active presence in major Information Systems and Computer Science conferences and ties with local and European industry and research funding organisations. General information about the research activities of the Department of Information Systems can be found at http://infolab.kub.nl/ and http://cwis.kub.nl/~few/few/BIKA/home_uk.htm. The Department of Information Systems & Computer Science at Tilburg University invites applications for two positions as assistant professor. Tasks: Participation in the departments research program. A light teaching load is offered to new recruits during the first two years. The regular teaching load is two courses per year (undergraduate, graduate or postgraduate). Tenure track: The appointment is initially for a period of five years. At the end of the fourth year, a tenure decision will be made. Requirements: Candidates should have a PhD in Information Systems, Computer Science or equivalent qualification. They must have a strong interest in research and teaching, and have demonstrated their research ability via publications. For the Computer Science applicant, areas of particular interest include Internet and WWW applications, database systems, software engineering and multi-agent systems. For the Information Management applicant, areas of particular interest include business process re-engineering, Inter-Organisational Systems, and EDP audit. Salary: The salary will range between Dfl. 50,000 and Dfl. 110.000 gross per annum, commensurate with qualifications and experience. The Department provides attractive financial conditions to support research and teaching activities. Information: Enquiries regarding the positions should be addressed to: prof.dr.ir. M.P. Papazoglou, tel. +31-13-466 2349, e-mail: mikep@kub.nl, http//infolabwww.kub.nl:2080/infolab/people/mikep, or Dr. H. Weigand, tel +31 13 4662806, e-mail: weigand@kub.nl. Application: Applicants are invited to send a detailed resume, the names and addresses of at least three referees, a one-page statement containing teaching and research interests, as well as copies of three relevant publications. All documentation (stating the vacancy number) should be sent not later than January 31,1999 to Mr. E.M.G.H. Bernard, Tilburg University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, PO Box 90153, 5000 LE Tilburg, The Netherlands. ###################################################################### From: George Heineman Worcester Polytechnic Institute The Computer Science Department of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) invites applications for one or possibly two tenure track positions. We prefer to hire at the Assistant Professor level, beginning in August, 1999. Preference will be given to candidates with interest in the area of software engineering. However, excellent candidates in all areas and all ranks will be considered. Candidates should have a Ph.D. in Computer Science or a closely related field, and strong interests in both research and teaching. WPI, the nation's third oldest college of engineering and science, has approximately 2,700 undergraduates and over 1,000 full- and part-time graduate students and over 200 faculty. WPI's innovative, project-based undergraduate program, the WPI plan, offers students a flexible, exciting and academically challenging alternative to traditional science and engineering curricula. WPI has initiated a process to increase the role of graduate studies and research. The Department of Computer Science is the fastest growing in the institute, with 17 tenure track faculty, and plans to hire more over the next few years. The department is located in the Fuller Laboratory building (completed 1990), has a large variety of computing resources, and is committed to provide the most advanced software and hardware environment for both research and teaching. Situated in Worcester, the WPI campus is in close proximity to many of the city's major cultural attractions; including the American Antiquarian Society, the Worcester Art Museum and several major music performance venues. Worcester, forty miles west of Boston, offers access to the diverse cultural and recreational resources of rural lifestyles. Worcester is also the seat of nine colleges and universities in addition to WPI. To apply, submit a letter of application, resume and the names, addresses and e-mail addresses of three references to: Recruiting Committee Computer Science Department WPI, 100 Institute Road, Worcester, MA 01609 Questions about the hiring process, as well as electronic applications (in postscript, ascii or MS Word) should be addressed to: recruit@cs.wpi.edu. Preference will be given to applications received by December 31, 1998. To enrich education through diversity, WPI is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 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