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The article examines the variety of software process capability/maturity models (SPCMM) being developed and customized. SPCMM are defined as models that describe best practices for software life-cycle processes. A reference model for how to develop SPCMM is proposed. It stresses the importance of the knowledge-specification steps for users to be confident in applying an SPCMM.

Today, computing has become increasingly influential in our day-to-day lives. Due to this importance, computing needs to be popularized in K-12 giving students the opportunity to learn basic computing competencies. Integrating computer education into school requires trained teachers, however, currently such teachers are scarce. Therefore, some initiatives aim at integrating computer education in an interdisciplinary way, training in-service teachers from other areas. In this context, this article presents the result of a systematic mapping study aiming on the identification of existing instructional units for training in-service teachers and their characteristics. As a result, 16 instructional units (IUs) were found. Most UIs focus on teaching algorithms and programming, with few also covering pedagogical and technological knowledge. The encountered IUs vary largely in terms of teaching mode, duration. We also observed, due to a scarcity of information on how the IUs were developed the necessity for further research in this area. However, the results demonstrate also first indications of the viability and the positive contribution of in-service teacher training for computer education, contributing to the popularization of computing competencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

App Inventor is a blocks-based programming environment that allows any end-user to create mobile applications. It is frequently used in order to teach computing in K-12 through the development of mobile apps. Although learning computing with App Inventor has been investigated from different points of view, a question that remains is whether the visual design of the user interfaces (UI) of the applications developed with App Inventor is adequate, being one of the major success factors of a mobile application. Therefore, this article analyzes the visual design of the user interfaces of 88,861 apps from the App Inventor gallery in relation to its compliance with style guides through an automated source code analysis, as well as its aesthetics based on a survey with 95 participants assessing 110 UIs. The results show that most UIs do not comply to design guidelines and do not have visual aesthetics. Therefore, it seems important to cover not only programming concepts, but also UI design in computing education when developing mobile applications. The results of this analysis can drive the development and improvement of instructional units and the App Inventor environment, thus contributing to the development of applications with better UI design and increasing their chances of having success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contribution: An approach is presented to provide contextualized feedback for students using a project management (PM) tool. This approach covers the ten PM knowledge areas, guiding students through the planning of software projects. Background: Because software PM is unfeasible without the support of a PM tool there is a growing demand that these tools be taught in the higher education computer courses. Hence, several approaches already have been proposed to improve this teaching, such as educational PM tools or simulators, which facilitate the application of specific PM techniques and the treatment of their results. Another approach to improve the teaching of PM tools is instructional feedback, but little information is as yet available on how to provide instructional feedback when teaching software PM. Intended Outcomes: Instructional feedback, essential to helping students to learn, is based on an evaluation of their actions and decisions. To take advantage of this instructional approach, this paper proposes an instructional feedback technique to be employed in an instructional unit (IU) teaching PM tools aligned with the project management body of knowledge. Application Design: This technique was evaluated through an experiment carried out in undergraduate computer courses. Control and experiential groups were exposed to the same IU, with only the experiential group using the instructional feedback technique. Findings: The proposed feedback technique contributes to student learning, meeting students’ need for better explanations to acquire a comprehensive understanding of PM theory and its practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching computing in K-12 is typically accomplished by teaching programming through practical activities in which students create software artifacts such as mobile applications. This approach, however, may not cover other important competencies such as user interface design, which are essential for software development. Within this context, this article presents the development, application and evaluation of an instructional unit that incorporates the teaching of UI design competencies into computing education. The instructional unit was developed in a systematic way following an instructional design process, and applied and evaluated in a Brazilian public middle school. First results indicate it can have a positive impact on motivation, user experience, and learning as well as empower students to become active creators of IT products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]