Evaluating the effectiveness of a real-life, team based software development project for tertiary students

Abstract

This multi-year action research study evaluated the effectiveness of a real-life, team based software development project at preparing software engineering students for the workplace. Graduates were surveyed to determine how useful the experience had been, and to find common gaps in their skill sets. The learning environment was adapted to address identified skill gaps. Results show the real-life, team based project experience does help bridge the gap between the academic world and industry practice.