JOANNA F. DEFRANCO

Associate Professor of Software Engineering
Engineering Division

Main Building, 220 E
610-648-9957
jfd104@psu.edu

Joanna F. DeFranco, associate professor of software engineering, earned her Ph.D. in computer and information science from New Jersey Institute of Technology, M.S. in computer engineering from Villanova University, and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Math from Penn State University. She has worked as an Electronics Engineer for the Navy as well as a Software Engineer at Motorola. Her research interests include software engineering teams, effective teamwork, internet of things, and software intensive critical systems.

Selected Publications

DeFranco, J., Kassab, M., Laplante, P., Laplante, N., “The Nonfunctional Requirement Focus in Medical Device Software: A Mapping Study and Taxonomy,” Innovations in Systems and Software Engineering, Volume 13, No. 2-3, pp 81-100, 2017. DOI: 10.1007/s11334-017-0301-6  

Laplante, P., DeFranco, J.F., “Software Engineering of Safety Critical Systems:  Themes from Practitioners,”  IEEE Transactions on Reliability, Vol. 66, No. 3, September, 2017.

DeFranco, J.F. Laplante, P.A., “A Content Analysis Process for Qualitative Software Engineering Research,” Innovations in Systems and Software Engineering, Volume 13, No. 2-3, pp 129-141, September 2017. DOI: 10.1007/s11334-017-0287-0  

DeFranco, J.F., and P.A. Laplante.  “An Integrative Review and Analysis on Software Development Team Communication Research.” to appear in IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication June 2017.

Neill, C., J.F. DeFranco, and R. Sangwan. “Improving Collaborative Learning in Online Software Engineering Education.” to appear in European Journal of Engineering Education Accessed September 16, 2016, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2016.1203293

Kassab, M., J.F. DeFranco, and PA. Laplante. “Software Testing Practices in Industry: The State of the Practice.” to appear in IEEE Software, Accessed September 16, 2016, http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/MS.2016.87

DeFranco, J., K. Jablokow, M. Piovoso, and S.S. Richmond. “Objectively Assessing Concept Maps for Knowledge Integration.” International Journal of Engineering Education 31 (2015): 1-11.

Jablokow, K., J. DeFranco, S. Richmond, M. Piovoso, and S. Bilen. "Cognitive Style and Concept Mapping Performance." Journal of Engineering Education 104 (2015): 303-325. 

Richmond, S.S., J.F. DeFranco, and K. Jablokow. “A Set of Guidelines for the Consistent Assessment of Concept Maps.” International Journal of Engineering Education 30 (2014): 1072-1082.

DeFranco, J., C. Neill, and R. Clariana. “A Cognitive Collaborative Model to Improve Team Performance – A Study of Team Outcomes and Mental Model Sharing.” Systems Engineering Journal 14 (2011): 267-278.