The use of a trading game to teach software engineering is not new. The advantages of such an approach fitted our needs very well. From the initial specification, which contains many inconsistencies and omissions, to the revised specification handed out two weeks before the final deadline, it is impossible for the teams to produce a complete solution. Many students are uncomfortable with this, especially those used to completing exercises and getting good grades. We encourage them to think carefully about prioritisation, and to plan the amount of effort they should put in.
Oral presentation is given a high priority.
Each team is given several sessions in which to make presentations to their customer base. A final, assessed, presentation requires each team to present what they have learned from the course. For many of the students, this course is their first experience of giving technical presentation, and we noticed a dramatic improvement in presentation skills as the course progressed. More emphasis is placed on reporting the process than the product. Each submitted report includes a process evaluation.