Software Engineering--Associate of Engineering
Mission
The mission of the Software Engineering Technology (SET) associate's degree program within the Computer Systems Engineering Technology (CSET) Department at Oregon Institute of Technology is to prepare our students for entry level careers in the software industry and government by providing applied laboratory based instruction. The program is to serve a constituency consisting of our students, high-technology industry, and the citizens of Oregon. Major components of the SET program's mission in the CSET Department are:
- To provide a new generation of Software Engineering Technology students with a solid background in computer programming.
- To enable our students to create, develop and apply knowledge within a technical software environment.
- To provide government and high tech industry employers with entry level graduates in computer programming and related professions.
Educational Objectives
- Graduates of the SET associate's degree program will have a thorough understanding of the key principles and practices of computer programming.
- Graduates of the SET associate's degree program will have developed a broad base of skills preparing them to function as an entry level computer programmer. They will practice with ethical and professional responsibility; recognize the need for, and have the ability to engage in, continual life-long learning as it pertains to advances in programming; and have the ability to function and communicate effectively and successfully.
- Graduates of the SET associate's degree program will have the means necessary to acquire practical skills for employment within a technical environment.
Expected Student Learning Outcomes
SET associate's degree graduates will have demonstrated:
- an ability to identify, formulate, and solve computer programming problems, including the specification, design, implementation, and testing of programs that meet specification, performance, maintenance and quality requirements.
- an understanding of the core areas of data structures, programming languages and paradigms, and computer architecture.
- an understanding of professional, ethical and social responsibility.
- a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning.
- the successful design and development of a computer program.
- an ability to communicate through oral presentation and interaction with an audience.
- an ability to convey technical material through written reports which satisfy accepted standards for writing style.
Curriculum Map
The SET associate's degree curriculum map can be found on program's web page on the OIT web site.
Summary of Student Learning Outcomes
During the 2007-08 academic year, the SET faculty formally assessed the student learning outcomes summarized below. Additional details can be found in the attached assessment report and in department assessment records.
SLO #1) an ability to identify, formulate, and solve computer programming problems, including the specification, design, implementation, and testing of programs that meet specification, performance, maintenance and quality requirements
Strengths: The students performed well when demonstrating programming skills. Their problem solving skills and ability to write efficient code are acceptable.
Weaknesses: As shown in the assessment activities, students resist the design and documentation processes. Also, their testing skills are sporadic at best. These assessment activities confirm observations made by the faculty that the students would rather program than document or design.
Action Items: Faculty in programming related courses will provide additional examples of poorly documented code.
Changes Completed: The curriculum now contains a class, CST 236 Software Systems Testing, designed to teach students better testing practices. This course will be offered for the first time winter term of 2009.
SLO #3) an understanding of professional, ethical and social responsibility
Strengths: None, although their organization skills improve slightly as they progress through the curriculum.
Weaknesses: All aspects of this outcome are not acceptable for a graduate from the SET programs.
Action Items: The courses in which this is taught, CST 104 Introduction to Computer Systems II and CST 105 Introduction to Computer Systems III, will be enhanced for the next academic year. This outcome will be re-assessed next year. Possible courses that teach the necessary skills will also be researched.
SLO #6) an ability to communicate through oral presentation and interaction with an audience
Strengths: The students' excel in understanding and presenting technical content.
Weaknesses: The students' comfort level speaking in front of a group is fairly low. This results in poor delivery practices. They do improve dramatically throughout their academic career as shown by the assessment results.
Action Items: None at this time.
Changes Resulting from Assessment
The following are changes that have been implemented because of the assessment process bringing to light certain inconsistencies or weaknesses. Some changes are ongoing processes and therefore will not be fully implemented until the end of next year.
At the recommendation of our Industrial Advisory Board (IAB), and the findings confirmed by one of our rubrics, we have introduced two new four-credit classes into the curriculum. These courses are CST 236 - Software Testing and CST 276 - Design Patterns. These changes have been approved by our Curriculum Planning Commission (CPC) and will appear in the 2008-09 catalog. Because of the importance of these changes, we have requested that all SET students under the 2007-08 catalog move to next year's updated curriculum.
- An outcome has been removed from our Program Outcomes. The reason for this removal is because it was more in line with an objective rather than an outcome. The deleted outcome is: SLO #8) an ability to be prepared for entry level employment within various governmental and high technology companies that utilize their computing education.