Learning Software Engineering via Internet

In recent years, education authorities worldwide, including the German Federal Government, have invested heavily in the development of e-learning and multimedia materials for institutions of higher education. While for some subject matters the benefits of e-learning seem obvious, there are subjects, often consisting of a number of tenuously connected topics or requiring a balance of learning and training, for which it is a valid question whether appropriate learning materials can be presented via the Internet. Software Engineering belongs to this second group, both for its broad collection of topics and, particularly, for the required emphasis on teamwork and communication training.This paper reports on a successful e-learning module on Software Engineering, which is used at the VFH (Virtual University of Applied Sciences) in the third semester of the Bachelor program for Media and Computing. The report concentrates on two major aspects: The conceptual approach of producing didactically adequate online course material, and the didactics and techniques required for training communication and teamwork in an online course, which are considered an essential part of Software Engineering. In a concluding passage, the authors share some practical experiences with this course and consider the teaching efforts required to make it work successfully.