www.naccq.ac.nz 2. TEACHING SOFTWARE ENGI-

Software engineering is a diverse discipline utilising a multitude of tools and methodologies. A development project can generate numerous problems for the software engineer: specifications may be ill defined; clients change their minds; the system is often larger than the individual software engineer could know; the challenges of working in a group environment. The teaching of software engineering presents a particular challenge as we attempt to expose students to ‘real world ’ situations, while maintaining a positive and constructive learning environment. As Surendran and Young (2000) argued, “the gap between what is learned in the curricula and what is needed in the industry is rather wide in relation to other engineering disciplines ” (pg 350). Surendran and Young (2000) described the benefits of using a project based approach with real external clients. In preparing students for the ‘real world’, emulating projects within the relatively controlled and safe confines of education is a powerful tool. Some aspects are easier to emulate than others, for example, project specifications and group dynamics can be manipulated in the classroom environment. This paper describes the application of a catastrophic change in project to an otherwise successful software engineering class that has been previously demonstrated to follow an empowering approach. The class was ‘run over by a bus ’ and groups required to swap projects half way through development. Numerical and qualitative information is presented that demonstrates the success of this approach. Implications for future work are considered along with the theoretical context of the study. 1