Female pupils and students get an insight into networked software development

Virtual Collaboration in Software Engineering

Students as well as experts from different fields are familiar with project-oriented collaboration via the Internet, and not just since the outbreak of the Corona pandemic. Virtual cooperation requires flexibility and the secure handling of tools. However, not all project members are familiar with digital collaborative tools.

In order to introduce students to networked collaboration in the technical field and to prepare them for group work in software development during or after their education, colleagues from IEEE WIE Austria - in charge was Katharina Pollack (Acoustics Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences) - and SynPro Solutions held a workshop to teach the basics of the Git platform.

Git is a version control system that is mainly used for software engineering and that serves virtual, networked collaboration. For AIT research groups such as High-Performance Vision Systems, this management system has long been an integral part of their research collaboration in the field of software development. With the help of many practical examples, the participants were able to get an idea of the platform and how to use it.

Appealing communication environment

Especially for the workshop, IEEE WIE colleagues built a virtual classroom in "gather.town" that was tailored to the needs of the workshop and the target group. Gather.town is a video conferencing tool that focuses on interaction and is therefore particularly suitable for workshops and group work. Each participant is represented by an avatar and can move freely in the room, here in the digital classroom. Tasks, tables for the working groups, desks for the lecturers and much more can be created at predefined positions. Presenters can easily move from table to table during the workshop and communicate with the individual working groups. The participants of the Git workshop were thus able to get first-hand information directly from the speakers, get assistance and ask their questions. At the end, there was still the possibility to exchange ideas in the large group in the classroom

About IEEE WIE Austria

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is one of the largest organizations in the world dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through Women in Engineering (WIE), IEEE has a professional organization specifically dedicated to advancing women engineers and scientists and inspiring girls worldwide to pursue careers in engineering.
One of the co-founders of the Austria Section of IEEE Women in Engineering is Nicole Brosch / research group High-Performance Vision Systems, AIT Center for Vision, Automation & Control.
http://www.ieee-austria.org/index.php/wie
https://www.facebook.com/IEEEWIEAustria/ 
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8635973

About SynPro Solutions

SynPro Solutions specializes in Linux server administration and integration. The company designs and implements highly redundant and distributed server systems. The focus is on open source solutions, although it also supports Windows servers, legacy and client systems (often in cooperation with local administrators). In addition,  IT or hardware and software consulting is also part of the field of activity.
https://synpro.solutions

More on Git
https://git-scm.com/about
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Git

More on gather.town
https://www.gather.town/