Model-Based Development in Education: Teaching Way of Thinking

D. V. Koznov, Associate Professor, e-mail: d.koznov@spbu.ru, Saint Petersburg State University

Model-based software engineering teaching is actively discussed in the international education community at the moment. Nonetheless, there is no common viewpoint to the topic. Courses at different universities are radically different from each other. The variation points are focus and area of the teaching topic, student background required, connections with other software engineering courses, etc. In this paper an education concept for model based software engineering teaching is introduced. The concept is more a special way of thinking rather than a collection of techniques/tools. It consists of the following issues: background in standard modeling languages (UML, BPMN); view point concept; skills for detection of information pieces, which suit/not suit for modeling; creating nice diagrams; balancing information on a diagram; diagram reading skills diagram decomposition/size management understanding of software modeling use cases; understanding advantages and limitations of codegeneration. Actually, the concept is a set of special mental skills and focuses on successful adoption of model based abstractions into a various software development activities meeting real industrial challenges. We present also a course based on the concept suggested. The course addresses to 3-4 year software engineering bachelor students.

Keywords: model based software development, UML, software development, domain-specific modeling, teaching software engineering

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