Page - 191 - in The Future of Software Quality Assurance

Developing Software Qualityand Testing Capabilities inHispanic America:... 191 and Informatics 4-year degree programme. After completing 2 years of studies, students of computing can choose to pursue two further years in one of these concentrations:computer science, software engineeringor information technology. The software engineering concentration offers a course on software quality and another on software testing. The remaining state-sponsored university, National University (Universidad Nacional), does not include software quality or software testingas separate subjectswithin itsdegreeorpostgraduateprogrammes. 6.1.3 OtherPrivateUniversities Software quality and software are not common in other computing degree pro- grammes in Costa Rica. Universidad Invenio includes a course called Quality and Productivity in Enterprise Information and Telecommunication Technolo- gies in its Enterprise ICT degree programme. Universidad Fidélitas launched a Postgraduate (‘Licenciatura’) Diploma on Software Quality Management that includes eight courses, a Research Seminar and a Graduation (thesis) Project; the courses include: quality management systems, knowledge management, software engineering, project formulation and evaluation, ICT quality models and stan- dards, informationsystem measurement, ICT qualityauditing,managementof ICT resources. The U. Fidélitas programme is not particularly geared towards software qualityand less so towardssoftware testing. 6.2 ChallengesandProspects The author, being a university professor, inevitably biases his views from an educationaland researchperspective. 6.2.1 Challenges In the author’sview, these are some of the major challenges faced by the Hispanic America regionwith regards to softwarequalityassuranceandsoftware testing: • Facultyanduniversityacknowledgementofsoftwareengineeringasanimportant computing discipline, distinct from computer science and information systems [36]andrecognisingsoftwarequality,softwaretestingandsoftwaremaintenance as subjects thatneedstudyandspace incurricula.Facultymembers interested in software engineering are few compared to those specialised in more traditional areas of computer science or information systems. Those interested in software engineering do not lean particularly towards software quality or Software testing, usually preferring software technology, software design and software construction.