[LINK] Australia has ‘skipped a generation’ of software engineering education

[Tom Worthington]

On 30/11/21 2:12 pm, David wrote:

> ... The TechLauncher website implies there are few or no
> prerequisites ...

TechLauncher is part of ANU computing degree programs (there is a 
similar programs for engineering degrees). Students have to have already 
completed their earlier courses, and be a 3rd or 4th year undergraduate, 
or Masters level. Others have to apply and be individually approved. It 
is not just matter of turning up and you are in. 
https://cs.anu.edu.au/TechLauncher/current_students/course_outline/#co-taught-courses

> IMO student project-groups need close supervision by tutors ...

The students are in teams of about seven, with a tutor. Some tutors are
advanced students, while others are IT professionals from
industry. The tutors are supervised by academics with industry 
experience. 
https://cs.anu.edu.au/TechLauncher/get_involved/for_externals/#tutors

> ... architectural & implementation mistakes which can bring an entire
> real-world project to its knees, ruin reputations, and waste money on
> an epic scale. ...

The students are there to learn, and they learn a lot more when projects 
go wrong. That said, there are times when instructors have to intervene, 
with projects have to be restructured, or abandoned.

These are real projects, for real clients, but scaled to be able to be 
done by students. The students can't do too much damage, but one team I 
tutored were writing software to test generators in the Snowy Mountains 
Scheme, and another team were testing part of an anti-missile system for 
the Australian Defence Force.

> o	Inability to recognise & negotiate a poor RFT ...

The students have to negotiate with their client what the project is to do.

> o	Use of inappropriate development environments ...

Students are given suggestions as to the tools to use. In some cases the 
client dedicates the tool-set. In other cases students choose their own.

> o	Inability to properly evaluate claimed technical expertise and
> monitor performance.

There are always a few teams complaining about under-performing members. 
This is also a very useful learning opportunity. Tutors have access to 
the project repositories which record which student contributes what, when.

> Clear English expression was one of the marking areas at UTS. ...

ANU students have to meet minimum English requirements and there are 
courses to help. I am not sure I would meet the entry requirements. ;-)

ps: More on this in "Keeping the best bits of online learning after 
COVID-19", at EdTechPosium, in Canberra, 10 December: 
https://blog.highereducationwhisperer.com/search/label/KCKO%20Webinar%20Series

-- 
Tom Worthington http://www.tomw.net.au