Work in Progress: Sustainable Projects for Software Engineering Courses Collaborating with Technology Courses

Teaching Software Engineering (SE) based on "real-world" projects engages students with practical application of software engineering concepts students develop a deeper interest in the project deliverables while they acquire the skills of critically analyzing the problem and determining the best course of action. It can be challenging to find and maintain a reliable stream of suitable software projects that match learning outcomes, technical scope, and academic calendar of an SE class. On the other hand, a typical university campus has many non-Computer Science (CS) technology classes that require their students to study, understand, and evaluate existing software applications in specific areas. With purposeful coordination, these non-CS technology classes can serve as effective source of real projects for SE classes. This paper describes our experience of collaborating with the Education Program in their Technology in Education course. While we encountered some challenges, our experience has demonstrated that it is indeed mutually beneficial and rewarding for students in both courses. We offer recommendations on choosing non-CS technology classes and logistical guidelines to ensure the success of such collaborations.