In this paper we introduce the core results of the project on visualisation and analysis of data collected from the vertical transport facilities. The aim of the project was to provide better user experience as well as to help building maintenance staff to increase productivity of their work. We elaborated a web-based system for vertical transportation, to cover the needs of (1) staff working on building maintenance, (2) people who are regularly using the facilities in the corresponding buildings.
Sedelmaier and Landes @cite_13 provided justification from a pedagogical point of view that project-based learning (PBL) allows learners not only to gain technical knowledge in the related area, but also foster soft skills. Dagnino @cite_1 presented a method derived from the collaboration between North Carolina State University and ABB. This method brings diverse techniques to simulate an industrial environment for teaching a senior level Software Engineering course. In contrary to the approach of Dagnino, we do not simulate the industry environment for our projects, but use a real one, based on collaboration with local and overseas industrial partners. In addition to that, project based learning is seen as a contributing factor to graduates' better work preparation, cf. @cite_10 .
@cite_1 @cite_10 @cite_13
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This paper explores what work readiness means for two cohorts of graduate engineers, one from a traditional curriculum, the second from a largely project-based curriculum. Professional bodies and employers have defined a set of attributes for engineering graduates so that graduates will be ‘work ready’. Problem-based learning (PBL) is claimed to be a suitable approach to develop such skills. The graduates were interviewed some months after starting work, along with their managers. All the graduates recognised the benefits of taking PBL subjects as well as vacation work, with success in communication attributed more to PBL. Both cohorts had similar learning outcomes, high skill levels in project management, problem solving, communication skills, research and sustainability. A skills gap in ethics was identified for both cohorts of graduates and their managers. Further work is planned to link skill development with undergraduate learning experience. If software engineering education is done in a traditional lecture-oriented style students have no other choice than believing that the solutions they are told actually work for a problem that they never encountered themselves. In order to overcome this problem, this paper describes an approach which allows students to better understand why software engineering and several of its core methods and techniques are needed, thus preparing them better for their professional life. This approach builds on active and inductive learning. Exercises that make students actively discover relevant software engineering issues are described in detail together with their pedagogical underpinning.