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Software development projects sourced from external organizations can serve as an excellent platform to help build student competencies because they often provide an environment where students can practice applying their knowledge and skills in an authentic context. However, there are many challenges and risks that can jeopardize the successful execution of such projects. In this report, we discuss some of the lessons learned about the pain points encountered by computing faculty with over a decade of experience running a software engineering studio where teams of undergraduate students work on long-term projects sourced from external partners. Our experience is based on working with a mix of project partners with a major emphasis on non-profit and community organizations and non-technical project partners. We focus on a strategy to carefully screen prospective projects to reveal possible challenges in order to avoid or minimize risks that could impact student learning outcomes.
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An Experiential Report on Using a Software Factory in a Rural State to Promote Entrepreneurship
Abstract— Teaching software engineering and developing a sense of entrepreneurship in rural communities is challenging, particularly when students need to develop hands-on experience in the context of a realistic work environment. A Software Factory was established at Montana State University in 2014 as an innovative approach to teach entrepreneurship and software engineering. The physical space of the Software Factory emulates a real-world environment that facilitates an intimate experience for undergraduate students to interact with professional organizations such as commercial companies, startups, non-profit organizations and schools. Many computer science students located in rural states face challenges when trying to obtain professional experiences. The Software Factory provides a self-sustaining and meaningful way of bridging this gap by pairing teams of undergraduate students with viable established or startup high-tech companies. In this experiential report, we present a compilation of results from 16 collaborations over four years, the challenges faced, the lessons learned to date, and our plans for future improvements.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1658971
- PAR ID:
- 10081669
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Technology and Engineering Management Society Conference, IEEE TEMSCON 2018
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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