Stephen Seidman

A survey of literature on the teaching of introductory programming

Three decades of active research on the teaching of introductory programming has had limited effect on classroom practice. Although relevant research exists across several disciplines including education and cognitive science, disciplinary differences have made this material inaccessible to many computing educators. Furthermore, computer science instructors have not had access to a comprehensive survey of research in this area. This paper collects and classifies this literature, identifies important work and mediates it to computing educators and professional bodies. We identify research that gives well-supported advice to computing academics teaching introductory programming. Limitations and areas of incomplete coverage of existing research efforts are also identified. The analysis applies publication and research quality metrics developed by a previous ITiCSE working group [74].

Constructing a core literature for computing education research

After four decades of research on a broad range of topics, computing education has now emerged as a mature research community, with its own journals, conferences, and monographs. Despite this success, the computing education research community still lacks a commonly recognized core literature. A core literature can help a research community to develop a common orientation and make it easier for new researchers to enter the community. This paper proposes an approach to constructing and maintaining a core literature for computing education research. It includes a model for classifying research contributions and a methodology for determining whether they should be included in the core. The model and methodology have been applied to produce an initial list of core papers. An annotated list of these papers is given in appendix A.

Software Engineering Certification Schemes

Technology standards are developed and managed at many levels by professional and industry organizations, national standards bodies, and international organizations. For example, the IEEE is well known for its electronics and software engineering standards. The emerging ISO/IEC 24773 international standard could make software engineering certification globally portable.

The Emergence of Software Engineering Professionalism

The term “software engineering” was coined forty years ago as a metaphor for the processes involved in designing and constructing large-scale software systems. Since that time, the term has gradually come to refer to a professional engineering discipline. This paper will describe the role played by professional societies in the creation of the professional discipline of software engineering in the United States and Canada.

Certification for software professionals: the IEEE computer society's CSDP program

Panel Summary For more than twenty years, the IEEE Computer Society has played a leading role in improving the professionalism of software engineers. Its activities include development of a large collection of software engineering standards, publication of many seminal software engineering journals, texts, and reference books, co-sponsorship of undergraduate software engineering curriculum and accreditation activities, and co-sponsorship of the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK) project. In 1999, the Society launched an effort to certify the knowledge of practicing software engineers. This effort led to the development of the Society’s CSDP certification examination, which was given to a test group in 2001. The examination will be offered to the public through test centers around the world in Spring 2003. The Society has also encouraged the development of face-toface and online training opportunities for prospective test-takers. These opportunities will also be available in Spring 2003.

Masters degrees in computing

The ACM Education Board, the Education Activities Board of the IEEE Computer Society, representatives of the Association for Information Systems and the British Computer Society have joined forces to investigate the state of Masters degree programs in computing. This joint effort intends to document the variety and common features of programs throughout the United States and Europe. This poster is a status report on that project and an opportunity for interested individuals to add information about their programs to this work.

What is masters level education in informatics

Adoption of the Bologna Accord in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) represents a concerted move towards harmonisation of educational outcomes in higher education at the Bachelor, Masters and PhD levels. At a time when European systems are undergoing significant examination and modification, this project addresses the need for greater understanding of the nature of Masters level education in the Informatics disciplines across Europe and the United States. The poster presents the current findings of the project, and is intended to prompt discussion about the content and expected outcomes of such programmes world-wide.

Software offshoring risks and opportunities for software engineering programs

There is increasing anecdotal evidence of a move of software development projects and employment from North America and Western Europe to Asia and Eastern Europe. This panel will address the current and potential impact of such software offshoring on academic programs in software engineering.

Developing an undergraduate software engineering degree

As those who have done it can attest, developing an undergraduate degree in software engineering is a daunting and challenging task, and there have been instances where a department has tried, but failed to get its program approved. A strong desire to develop a program in software engineering together with interested faculty may not be enough to build a credible degree, let alone a curriculum that will be approved by all the administrative and State organizations who may have a say in it .This panel brings together a group whose experience in developing software engineering degrees at their respective institutions may be helpful to those thinking about doing so. Each member of the group will describe his/her experiences in developing an undergraduate program in software engineering and address key issues and problems that should be considered in any such effort. There will also be ample opportunity for interaction among the participants.