Integrating Agile Practices into Software Engineering Courses

Abstract

Agile software development methodologies are gaining popularity in industry although they comprise a mix of accepted and controversial software engineering practices. It is quite likely that the software industry will find that specific project characteristics will determine the prudence of using an agile or a plan-driven methodology – or a hybrid of the two. Educators must assess the value and applicability of these emerging agile practices and decide what role they have in software engineering curricula. This paper provides a brief overview of several agile methodologies, including a discussion of evaluative research of agile practices in academia. The paper also considers instructional issues related to agile methods and the impact of agile methodologies on existing curricular references such as SWEBOK.