Kean University Students Create Business Software Applications

Kean University computer science students are creating software solutions for local and regional businesses and nonprofits.

The students are enrolled in software engineering, a junior/senior-level course taught by Patricia Morreale, Ph.D., executive director of the School of Computer Science. In support of their curriculum on Agile Software Development, the students form teams and are assigned to work with clients in designing and developing software systems.

“It is very exciting to watch students take their knowledge from the classroom and work in a real software development environment, with deadlines and new or changing software requirements,” said Morreale. “This class makes great progress in closing the gap for my students, moving them from student to practitioner.”

The student teams worked with FloroStone Realty, Inc. in Roselle, Union County Partnership for Transition in Elizabeth, St. Mary and St. Bishoy Coptic Orthodox Church in Linden, and Kean Career Services on the University’s Union campus.

Agile Software Development requires that developers meet regularly with their clients, create user stories to understand how the software will be used and use feedback from clients to inform each stage of the process, said Morreale.

For FloroStone Realty, the students developed an automated online system for real estate agents to schedule property showings. Specific property details are shared privately and securely, and appointment reminders are used to confirm that the showing will take place as scheduled.
“The new software the students created is saving me so much time and money,” said Grisela Flores, co-owner of the real estate firm. “When we had our weekly meetings, the team seemed so motivated with their project and always had something new to present. They were all eager to understand the process.”

The Union County Partnership for Transition team developed a website to be used as a one-stop shop to provide resources and information to young adults with special needs who are transitioning to a more independent lifestyle.

The St. Mary and St. Bishoy Coptic Orthodox Church team developed a web application in support of different groups and activities at the church.

The Kean Career Services team created a system for booking appointments with Kean’s Career Services group, from both desktop and mobile devices.

“Taking this course provided a great way to emulate what it would be like to work on a software engineering team in the real world,” said senior Carlos Flores of Linden, who is no relation to the FloroStone co-owner. “In classes we traditionally create projects based on the requirements of a professor, so it was refreshing to work with an actual client and deliver a project to them.”

The School of Computer Science is looking for businesses, nonprofits and other organizations interested in being part of future software engineering class projects. To find out more, email compsci@kean.edu.