Transfer of knowledge in a web design and development course

One of the primary objectives of software engineering education is the direct and easy transfer of the knowledge and skills taught in the classroom to the student, and correspondingly into the workplace. Immediate application of classroom knowledge in industry has several benefits including the rapid incorporation of research into industry, potential financial benefit to the employer, and improved professional stature of the student. One pedagogical approach to support this transfer of knowledge is the use of student-defined real-world projects. This paper reports on the experiences gained in knowledge and skill transfer from academia into industry in a graduate-level Web application design and development course taught at Rensselaer at Hartford.