Educational Enhancement of VSERC

Principal Investigator: H. E. Dunsmore

Research Assistants: J. Sweitzer, K. Claybrooks

Sponsor: NSF

Virtual Software Engineering Research Center
In previous work, we have developed Virtual SERC (VSERC), a prototype of a virtual enterprise on the World-Wide Web. This work included the VSERC Website itself, facilities for expanding and enhancing the Website, as well as a version of the VSERC Website that may be downloaded by any SERC affiliate or NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center to provide the beginning of and backbone for their company or research center Website.

VSERC has become a mechanism for conducting SERC business, a spur for applications-driven software engineering research, and an information source for SERC affiliates and potential affiliates.

VSERC Educational Wing
We are now enhancing VSERC by adding an Educational Wing with the following components:

  1. Technical Reports from SERC Researchers.
  2. Software Engineering Courseware (course outlines, syllabi, reading material, supplemental material, assignments, quizzes and exams).
  3. Interactive Components (interactive Software Engineering tools and instructor-student interaction mechanisms).
  4. Multi-Media Server Access Facilities (audio, video, and animation from lectures, help sessions, conferences, and symposia).
Continuing VSERC Development
We are also continuing to maintain VSERC with activities divided into the following categories:
  1. Continuing development of the VSERC Website (updating current material and adding some additional capabilities).
  2. Improving the accessibility and reliability of VSERC (moving to dedicated server hardware that will increase speed, flexibility, and reliability of the VSERC Website).
  3. Improving interactive capabilities with those who visit the Website and those who want to download VSERC software.
  4. Providing more help for installing, parameterizing, and customizing VSERC software.