New graduates with strong software development skill are in
high demand across the USA. Defense and Intelligence systems that provide an
edge in today's fractious international environment are software-intensive and
need competent new developers. Sad to say, the recent track record for such
software is not good; the rapid, user-oriented development capability
associated with plugfesting addresses some of their key weaknesses. Thus a
working familiarity with plugfesting is highly desirable in new hires to
develop Defense and Intelligence software.
Two institutions of higher learning in particular have
established track records in working with students to prepare them for
plugfesting. These are San Diego State University (SDSU) and George Mason
University (GMU). The two share some common characteristics: they are located
in areas where Defense and Intelligence software development is highly active;
they take an innovative, technology-focused approach to education; and many of
their students go on to work for Defense and Intelligence contractors.
On behalf of myself and of Steve Price of SDSU, I’m here to
report that:
-
The standard IEEE/ACM curriculum in Computer
Science does not yet include Web Applications, the core skill set for
plugfesting; so we are starting our own elective courses
-
Our students perform very well in plugfesting,
given adequate orientation and mentorship
-
It is hard to get student attention to
plugfesting because of the wide variety of other topics that attract their
attention and the limited hours students have available for extra-curricular
activities given their full schedules (many of them have part-time jobs)
- We have demonstrated that, if we have resources to provide an attractive
environment for plugfesting, we are able to engage more students
Bottom line: plugfesting is a great way to prepare students
for improved Defense and Intelligence software development; but competition for
student attention is fierce; with more resources we could do it more effectively.
Mark Pullen
Professor of Computer Science
George Mason University
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