International Collaboration for Software Capstone Projects

Most universities include a senior capstone project as part of their curriculum. These projects are designed to provide students with the opportunity to utilize the skills which they have acquired over the course of their education and to apply them to a large project. Recent trends in software development include increasing globalization and international collaboration both between companies as well as among international teams within an organization. In response to these changes, some instructors of capstone courses have begun to conduct international capstone projects where students in one country are paired with industry companies or other organizations from a different country. This paper presents the results of a survey of educators, software professionals, and former students who have participated in some form of international capstone project. This research is aimed at providing a better understanding of these projects to those who are interested in participating in international capstone projects themselves.