An introductory course on software engineering on self-organization in swarm robotics

In this paper we describe an introductory course on software engineering for undergraduate students of computer science, electrical engineering and mechatronics. In contrast to previous courses we conceived, performed and evaluated a project that has to be accomplished within a one-week timeframe. Therefore the focus is rather on goal-orientation and pragmatic problem-solving than on a strict phase-based software development process. The problem at stake focuses on an algorithm for implementing swarm intelligence which is borrowed from the behavior of leaf cutting ants. We explain our concept and demonstrate how short-duration assignments like this can yield interesting results and experiences with respect to teaching software engineering skills.