Conclusions from the Novi Sad Workshop

Summary of the final discussion

Discussion topics:

1. The goals of future cooperative work will be twofold:
   • Elaborating a (joint) course "Software Engineering" to be used as a part of an informatics curriculum
   • Development of a reverse engineering project based on the XCTL system
2. A course "Software Engineering" should be proposed in different versions
   • version for a basic course for one semester
   • extended version for a two-semester course
   • students' seminars and projects in this field.
   The role of case studies for software projects in such a course is being pointed out (i. e. case studies for lectures as well as for students' projects).
3. The role of the XCTL may be in different fields:
   • Use of XCTL as a case study of a real software project may improve students' motivation in SE lectures (experience of Humboldt University).
   • Use of XCTL as the basis of a students' project accompanying a SE course may be useful to study software documents necessary in every real project: requirements documents (UML: use case diagrams, class diagrams, ...; verbal description of functionality, software architecture, code and commenting, test documents, user manual ...)
   • Use of XCTL as a case study for a virtual university / distance learning project:
     common demonstrational project software for different universities.
   • XCTL may be presented via the internet
     • to be studied (the documents) by students
     • to be the basis of common project tasks (e. g. to modify documents)
     • as a basis of students' cooperation over the internet
   • Use of XCTL as a case study in the research field of "Software Engineering over the internet" (see: annual international workshop).
   Regarding to these different roles, we should consider applying for TEMPUS projects (or PHARE ...). Other case studies should also be searched for (e. g. case study in the German book: Balzert: Sofware Engineering; other case studies from the participants of the WS).
4. The document "Themes of cooperation between Humboldt University Berlin and Universities in South Eastern Europe" may be used as a basis of cooperative work. All other proposals are welcome!
   Proposals (highlights :-) of final discussion:
   • Novi Sad is interested in subjects related to compiler construction (due to their experience in that field).
   • Zoran Budimac will translate the new version of "Manual adjustment" into the English language.
   • Plovdiv formed a group of students that should be concerned with a use case of the XCTL system.
   • Belgrade (Dragan Bojic) will be concerned with software architecture and portability.
   • Kragujevac asks for inclusion of multimedia (e. g. video to record the work of the physicists in the laboratory).
   • Kragujevac could imagine to extend XCTL by visualizing components (e. g. visualizing motor movement).
   • Plovdiv suggests to use XCTL as a case study for a virtual university or distance learning project in the field of software project case studies.
5. Future meetings and financial support
   • DAAD is willing to support our workshop at least for 2002 and 2003.
   • Plovdiv is willing to organize the WS in 2002.
   • Skopje is willing to organize the WS in 2003.

Appendix

Zoran Budimac fixed the following classes of "SE course existence"

© 2001, Kay Schützler (E-Mail, Homepage)