Final results of incorporating an operational formal method into a software engineering curriculum

This project, which is funded by the NSF Educational Innovation Program (CDA-9522257), integrates an operational formal method into the undergraduate software engineering curriculum of the Systems Analysis Department of Miami University. Formal analysis skills were added to the curriculum to address the concern that the discipline of software engineering education lacks sufficient emphasis on mathematics and engineering science. The integration of an operational formal method throughout a six course software engineering sequence is outlined. Direct comparisons of the problem solving skills of the formal methods and control student groups have shown that the formal methods students possess an increased level of complex problem solving skills as well as a greater ability to perform problem abstraction.