Integrating a software engineering approach into an Ada closed laboratory

Abstract

A manual for a closed laboratory incorporating software engineering concepts was developed and implemented for Ada'95 during the 1998-1999 academic year. The software engineering concepts were applied during the development and implementation. The purpose was to teach student programmers (and prospective software engineers) disciplined methods for developing software. The findings were: 1. the closed laboratory provided an ideal environment for students to explore, learn and implement software development methods as well as learn the Ada language. 2. The closed laboratory was a major contributor for students to understand the course contents and built a bridge between the class lectures and open lab projects. 3. The closed laboratory helped students to accomplish their open lab projects in a more efficient and professional way by following software development methods. A survey conducted at the end of the semester indicated the success of implementation of software development methods in the Ada closed laboratory. The responses showed that students enjoyed the closed laboratory and considered it an exciting and interesting learning experience.