A collaborative learning platform to assess the use of agile methodologies in engineering studies

The success of using agile methodologies for collaborative work in industry, has led to adopt these methodologies for teaching Software Engineering. The curricula has evolved in recent years in order to introduce the use of agile development, so that the students practice their use and train the required skills for project-based collaborative work. Agile methodologies are characterized by being iterative and incremental, with short cycles, constant deliveries and a high level of interaction among team members. These characteristics constitute a challenge for educators and students since, in short periods of time, it is necessary to evaluate and provide feedback to individual and group work, regarding aspects like methodology usage, tools management, and collaboration within the team. For that reason, a Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) environment has been developed to assist academics in evaluating and providing feedback to students. The CSCL environment is based on the collaborative platform GitLab, which has been adapted to implement concepts associated to SCRUM, an agile methodology widely adopted. Additionally, the use of GitLab allows to automatically collect information regarding individual and team work of students. Using GitLab data collected, a Learning Analytics platform has been developed in order to analyse group and individual work during the execution of student projects using SCRUM. The objective is to determine if SCRUM helps students to elaborate better software, by evaluating methodology adoption and quality of the resulting software. A prototype of the platform was developed and used in a Software Engineering undergrad course at a Spanish University, in which 79 students divided into groups of 3-4 people, developed two independent projects. Preliminary results show that the proposed CSCL environment helps in providing insight for evaluating and giving feedback to students. Additionally, the data collected by the CSCL environment showed a good correlation of SCRUM adoption by students and quality of resulting software

Students’ perceptions, process and product in a CSCL experience

Following up students’ progress in collaborative activities is a crucial element in the teaching task if we want to properly scaffold learning and assess students’ performance. Considering this, a Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) environment was created in the subject Middleware, devoted to the development of collaborative software projects delivered to undergraduates from Computer Engineering in a Spanish university. Students (n= 46) were asked to work in teams using the SCRUM methodology and the GitLab software. In order to analyse their individual performance, a Learning Analytics platform was created and an online survey was designed to complement the results obtained collecting students’ perceptions. One of the aims in our project was toexplore the relationships between students’ outcomes and their perceptions about teamwork and the tools used. Specifically, we analysedthe relationship between students’ final mark, students’ perceptions of teamwork and their SCRUM competence. Their sense of flow during the collaborative activity was measured as well. Results show correlations among these variables. Further discussion is provided around the students’ perceptions as a key aspect for understanding students’ behaviour and performance

La Ciencia de Materiales en la Facultad de Química - UAEM

El libro se encuentra conformado por 13 capítulos que son resultados parciales de tesis de maestría y doctorado, escritos por estudiantes, por su comité de tutores y, en algunos casos, por los investigadores que colaboran con cada grupo disciplinario. Por ello, está dirigido a estudiantes de posgrado en Ciencia de Materiales, y de Ingeniería en Materiales del último año de la carrera.En 1996 dieron inicio los programas de Maestría y Doctorado en Ciencia de Materiales en la Facultad de Química de la Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México. Estos programas ofrecen a los estudiantes la formación académica y de investigación, a través del desarrollo de proyectos que incluyen la síntesis, modificación y el procesamiento de nuevos materiales para aplicaciones en medicina, óptica, construcción, catálisis, detección de sustancias volátiles, entre otras. En los últimos 3 años con el apoyo de estudiantes e investigadores, se logró concluir esta obra que da a conocer la importancia de sintetizar, caracterizar y aplicar materiales con base en sus propiedades.Secretaría de Educación Pública-Subsecretaría de Educación Superior-Dirección General de Educación Superior Universitaria. Número del convenio con la SEP: 2017-15-001-017