UT ENGINEERING NEWS
Contact Info:
Theresa Lestingi, 512.471.4875, tlestingi@mail.utexas.edu
January 16, 2002

UT Austin's Software Project Management Certificate Program makes waves with eLearning

In a time of schedule commitments and technology advancements, UT Austin announces eLearning and format changes that will reshape the popular SWPM program to match the needs of software engineers

Austin, Texas - The Software Project Management (SWPM) certificate program is going online this spring with its new 34-week format, allowing software professionals the much-needed opportunity to build results-based learning into their already overloaded schedules. SWPM will launch its online version March 20, 2002 in conjunction with the start of its renowned campus-based session. Software project managers, developers, and those involved in software quality assurance are invited to register now, since this class fills quickly.

"Software professionals can take this project management course no matter where they are located," said Carolyn Stark, Director of the Center for Lifelong Engineering Education. "By expanding our online offering, we are able to offer SWPM to working professionals who travel extensively or have unavoidable schedule conflicts that prevent them from attending class."

"Teaching software project management skills online will also enable virtual teams of students, no matter where or what time zone they are located in, to work on class projects, something they are doing in the 'real world' today" says Don Shafer, instructor-in-charge for SWPM and CTO of the Athens Group. "Incorporating our teaching into an online environment only serves to help them refine those competencies."

The SWPM program has a successful history of being offered in the online environment. It was first offered in a real-time online environment in 2000. Beginning in 2001, SWPM was modified for a global customer in the oil and gas industry and offered to their employees completely online. For 2002, the program is being offered in its entirety in the eLearning environment.

In addition to being available in the eLearning environment, SWPM has been further modified to meet the busy professional's schedule through format changes. Starting with the Spring 2002 program, SWPM will be compressed from 48-weeks to 34-weeks, to keep the program within a calendar year as well as mirror the '34 competencies every software project manager needs to know'. The revised format also follows the program's highly anticipated new text, "Quality Software Project Management", written by SWPM instructors Bob Futrell, Don Shafer, and Linda Shafer.

SWPM was launched in 1993 by the Software Quality Institute (SQI). Taught by expert practitioners from the software industry, SWPM gives professionals the necessary skills and techniques to improve their company's overall software development process. From choosing appropriate metrics to workplace personality types, SWPM offers a thorough view of the most up-to-date practices combined with the instructors' industry experience. The final result is a working knowledge that incorporates quality, applicability, portability, profitability, maintainability, and timeliness.

"The SWPM program is real-world project management taught by real-world practitioners," said Mike Haney, CEO, Athens Group and SWPM alumnus. "Their proven approach leads to better control of project costs and higher quality project deliverables. I recommend it highly."

SWPM will meet weekly from March 20, 2002 to December 10, 2002. Registration fees for both the online and on-site courses are $10,000.00 if registered on or before February 9, 2002 and $11,500.00 if registered on or after February 10, 2002. Parking is free to the on-site course participants. The onsite class meets weekly on Tuesday evenings.

About the SWPM Curriculum

To succeed in today's competitive marketplace, project managers are required to know the principles of software engineering, and they must incorporate skills for managing people, products, and processes into their daily routine. For this reason, the SWPM curriculum is grounded in interlaced bodies of knowledge developed by internationally recognized organizations: the Project Management Institute (PMI), IEEE, the Software Engineering Institute (SEI), and the American Society for Quality (ASQ). SQI instructors, who are themselves software professionals, refine knowledge identified by these two organizations and contribute decades of their own industry experience with the most up-to-date practices. Quality, applicability, timeliness, portability and profitability are all key areas of focus for the Software Project Management curriculum..

About CLEE

The Center for Lifelong Engineering Education (CLEE), which oversees the administration of the Software Quality Institute, is the continuing education provider for UT Austin's College of Engineering. CLEE has more than 30 years of experience in providing lifelong learning to industry using the rich intellectual resources of the College of Engineering.