Research Seminar - December 11, 2003

Software Engineering Teaching and Research

Abstract:

The concept of Software Engineering is one that is sometimes confused in the minds of students and academics, let alone the general public. This talk will seek to clarify the meaning and basic concepts of Software Engineering and cover how we (focusing on my personal contribution) teach Software Engineering in the School of Computer Science and Software Engineering at UWA. I will also discuss possible future directions of teaching in Software Engineering in the School. In the second part of the talk, I will describe one of my current research projects in Software Engineering and Wireless Sensor Networks. Currently, there is no accepted process for the release of new software. I will outline in detail the release criteria for the Linux Kernel project and demonstrate the absence of much Software Engineering formalism in the development and release of Linux, to the probable detriment of the overall quality of the product. A possible formal process will be proposed to solve this problem.