Engineering the software requirements of nonprofits: a service learning approach

Abstract

This paper is a cross-study of service-learning projects executed by student groups in a IO-week course on software engineering. The principal benefits of service-learning are demonstrated by the groups in this setting. The course is structured to support the project activities; timely brainstorming and negotiation roleplay exercises help the teams arrive at pragmatic baselines with their clients. The study highlights overlaps in the software requirements of nonprofits. The paper apprises the reader of some common mistakes committed by the various stakeholders, some of which can eventually undermine the project's mission.