  Project-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered and learn-by-doing
approach that organizes learning around projects. While entrepreneurship and
PBL in SE education are thrilling research topics, there seems to be very
little work focusing on the pros and cons of involving external stakeholders to
support real demands in software engineering education. Working on real
projects also supports students to acquire leadership skills, such as
communication, project management, and teamwork. This paper describes a case
study integrating students from different Software Engineering programs and
involving external stakeholders, underpinned by PBL concepts. We present how
this study was designed and implemented in a large institution, in four steps,
summarized as follows: (I) requirements gathering and design; (II) information
system development and implementation; (III) integration tests and deployment
process; (IV) support and maintenance activities. The study had the
participation of 59 students from a professional technical course in step one,
working in teams, and 10 undergraduate students from a Bachelor's program in
Information Systems in the following steps, working in pairs. Overall, the
feedback from stakeholders and students exceeded expectations, although it
increased the workload of teachers. We were able to distill a new set of
lessons learned, and we expect that at least some of them will be useful for
anyone implementing a similar course. As a consequence of this study, we plan
to institutionally formalize the PBL course improvement process by defining
specific outcomes and measurements.
