Incorporating software process in an undergraduate software engineering curriculum: challenges and rewards

Milwaukee School of Engineering has one of the first ABET-accredited software engineering (SE) programs in the United States. We describe our experiences in incorporating the core elements of the software engineering process throughout the undergraduate SE program. These elements are integrated vertically as well as horizontally throughout the curriculum, starting with an introductory process course in the sophomore year and culminating in a three-quarter software development laboratory course sequence and a two-quarter capstone project in the junior and senior years. The challenges encountered while using this approach are also discussed.