Evaluation of a learning design framework for software project management education using empirical software engineering

Abstract

According to the body of knowledge of several Computing degree programs, Software Project Management is one of the units of the Software Engineering area that must be addressed in Computing programs. However, often the subject of Project Management is approached in a theoretical way. One aspect that stands out is that the education should have a closer relation with practice. However, when comparing the de facto education against industry expectations, it is possible to note that students are graduating from Computing programs with knowledge deficiencies in several areas. In this perspective, the PhD project "An Experiential Learning Framework for Software Project Management Education" (FAPESP grant #2018/15163-6) intends to be a step forward in this direction by proposing a learning design framework for Software Project Management Education based on Experiential Learning. The main idea is to provide more attractive Software Project Management courses derived from the framework, besides improving important technical and soft skills for a Software Project Manager and software practitioners, in general. As part of the activities associated with the aforementioned PhD project, this internship project aims to evaluate, refine and evolve the learning design framework based on Experiential Learning for Software Project Management Education. To do so, we intend to apply Empirical Method of Software Engineering to (i) validate the proposed framework with experts in Project Management; (ii) establish a process to use the framework in order to derive its instances; and (iii) instantiate the framework using the established process to create the didactic sequences. At the very end, we expect that the results of this internship project can help instructors and researchers in the definition and planning of Software Project Management courses, particularly those aimed at improving important technical and soft skills. (AU)