A Framework for Analyzing and Comparing Software Projects in Academia and Industry

Abstract

The increasingly significant and indispensable role of software in society calls for ever more attention on its education. It is common for students graduating from computer science, software engineering, or similar programs to seek employment in industry. To be adequately prepared for a normal onboarding and transition from academia to industry, it is important for students to not only have theoretical as well as practical knowledge of software engineering state-of-the-art, but also an appreciation of and the necessary skills to successfully manage the technical as well as non-technical realities of the respective industry’s continually evolving heterogeneous ecosystem. The software projects provide means, in space as well as time, for such a preparation. In that regard, this chapter presents a brief history and evolution of software projects in software engineering education; based on conceptual modeling, professional experience, and international standards, provides an understanding of software projects in academia; using a detailed criteria, compares software projects in academia to those in industry, highlighting essential similarities as well as differences; presents a survey of undergraduate and graduate students’ experience in software projects; and provides recommendations in the direction of positive as well as negative learning for teachers and trainers involved in software projects.