Leading a Development Team Pilot for IT Project Management Master's Degree Students

Abstract

This presentation introduces the Software Engineering Management Program (SEMP) in Bulgaria. The program is a partnership between world leaders in software engineering and technology and the leading Bulgarian universities in Informatics and Computer Science, managed by ESI Center Bulgaria and funded by the America for Bulgaria Foundation. The presentation will discuss the IT Project Management master's degree program, at New Bulgarian University (NBU) and the considerations to add SEI professional courses Leading a Development Team, PSP Fundamentals, and PSP Advanced to the academic curriculum.

The presentation will focus on the pilot course Leading a Development Team as a first step to introducing PSP to IT Project Management master's degree students, the presenter's classroom experience, and the students' professional background and expectations. The presenter will cover the topics that were most challenging to introduce and what concepts the students found difficult to understand and embrace.

The presentation will include final course feedback, conclusions about differences between academic and professional learners, and questions concerning the academic classroom experience. The goal of the presentation is to start a professional discussion in the community about improvement proposals to face academic challenges associated with TSP.