ERIC Number: EJ1144885
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Nov
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0018-9359
EISSN: N/A
The Relevance of Software Development Education for Students
Liebenberg, Janet; Huisman, Magda; Mentz, Elsa
IEEE Transactions on Education, v58 n4 p242-248 Nov 2015
Despite a widely-acknowledged shortage of software developers, and reports of a gap between industry needs and software education, the possible gap between students' needs and software development education has not been explored in detail. In their university education, students want to take courses and carry out projects that clearly relate to their lives and their goals. This paper reports on a quantitative study of 297 software development students. The analysis of the results suggests that software development education has a predominantly social relevance to students and also has moderate personal and professional relevance. The following approaches are recommended to improve students' views of the relevance of software development education: use various learning environments; pay special attention to female students, students who did not have IT as a school subject, and students who rate their own academic performance as low; update educators on the latest developments; design programs to appeal to students and to meet societal demands.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, College Students, Relevance (Education), Computer Software, Computer Science Education, Curriculum Development, Engineering Education, Questionnaires, Factor Analysis, Gender Differences, Academic Achievement, Information Technology, Student Needs, Statistical Analysis
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854. Tel: 732-981-0060; Web site: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=13
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Africa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A