Matthias Galster (Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch) is part of a multi-disciplinary team of researchers that was awarded an MBIE Smart Ideas grant ($999,753) for the project “Transforming New Zealand’s ICT workforce using digital personalized interactive training.” The full list of accepted Smart Ideas projects is available here.
To build high quality software, transferable skills, including team and intercultural skills, communication, negotiation, and empathy, are significant. However, many software professionals lack these skills and current training methods are expensive and time consuming. The project will explore the “soft” and human side of software engineering and how software professionals in technical and non-technical roles work (including the challenges they face). This will then inform the development of an online, interactive, and personalised training platform for transferable skills based on “active” video watching. The platform will be geared towards professionals in the software industry and utilize novel AI-based models for personalized learning and engagement.
