Teaching process improvement in a graduate software engineering course

This presentation discusses the experience at Drexel University (USA) in using the Personal Software Process (PSP) to teach software process improvement in a graduate software engineering course. The presentation describes the context in which the PSP is used and discusses issues related to students, course structure, PSP features, and instructor load. The faculty members participating in this work believe that the PSP is a very effective approach to teaching about process improvement and to enhancing students´ understanding of software engineering. The presentation includes some preliminary results that provide insight into the impact of the course on student attitudes toward software engineering. This data is drawn from a post course survey administered six to eighteen months after students completed the course. The survey data also provides information about adoption of the PSP by the students after they complete the course. The presentation provides a useful summary of experience for faculty members considering teaching the PSP.