Developing software is a highly creative process. This paper describes a novel approach to teaching software engineering which involves university students working in partnership with external clients from business, charities and the public sector building solutions to their business and other problems. The paper describes the basic principles behind these activities and focuses on the experiences of teaching advanced students through the medium of a commercial software development company specifically set up to be run by the students as part of their degree course. The evidence from student and employer feedback demonstrates that this approach has been highly successful for the past 20 years or so but despite this it has rarely, if ever, been replicated elsewhere.

Software Engineering; Commercial Clients; Projects; Enterprise

Holcombe, M. & Gheorghe, M. (2012). Learning the Business. Creative Education, 3, 269-274. doi: 10.4236/ce.2012.32042.