Providing behaviour awareness in collaborative project courses

Several studies show that awareness mechanisms can contribute to enhance the collaboration process among students and the learning experiences during collaborative project courses. However, it is not clear what awareness information should be provided to whom, when it should be provided, and how to obtain and represent such information in an accurate and understandable way. Regardless the research efforts done in this area, the problem remains open. By recognizing the diversity of work scenarios (contexts) where the collaboration may occur, this research proposes a behaviour awareness mechanism to support collaborative work in undergraduate project courses. Based on the authors previous experiences and the literature in the area, the proposed mechanism considers personal and social awareness components, which represent metrics in a visual way, helping students realize their performance, and lecturers intervene when needed. The trustworthiness of the mechanisms for determining the metrics was verified using empirical data, and the usability and usefulness of these metrics were evaluated with undergraduate students. Experimental results show that this awareness mechanism is useful, understandable and representative of the observed scenarios.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Providing behaviour awareness in collaborative project courses

Several studies show that awareness mechanisms can contribute to enhance the collaboration process among students and the learning experiences during collaborative project courses. However, it is not clear what awareness information should be provided to whom, when it should be provided, and how to obtain and represent such information in an accurate and understandable way. Regardless the research efforts done in this area, the problem remains open. By recognizing the diversity of work scenarios (contexts) where the collaboration may occur, this research proposes a behaviour awareness mechanism to support collaborative work in undergraduate project courses. Based on the authors previous experiences and the literature in the area, the proposed mechanism considers personal and social awareness components, which represent metrics in a visual way, helping students realize their performance, and lecturers intervene when needed. The trustworthiness of the mechanisms for determining the metrics was verified using empirical data, and the usability and usefulness of these metrics were evaluated with undergraduate students. Experimental results show that this awareness mechanism is useful, understandable and representative of the observed scenarios.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Formal or informal, practical or impractical: towards integrating formal methods with informal practices in software engineering education

Two conflicting schools of thought have been dominating software engineering education. One school stresses on the popular software development methodologies, but horror stories on poorly designed systems are not uncommon. The other school advocates formal methods, but most practitioners regard them as impractical. We recommend that we should bridge the gap between the formal and informal by bringing theory to existing practice. The formalism should be used as a working tool behind popular software development methodologies. Students should not be trained as craftsmen who consider software development as an art and learn only from past mistakes. Nor should they be trained as mathematicians who are more comfortable with theory than applications. Software engineers must be educated as real 'engineers' who are competent with industrial practices as well as the mathematical foundation directly supporting them.postprin

Using a Class-Wide, Semester-Long Project to Teach Software Engineering Principles

A senior-level, project-based Software Engineeringcourse taught at the University of Central Arkansas serves asthe capstone course for the Computer Science Program andintroduces students to the theory, tools, and techniques used tobuild large-scale software systems in a project-driven setting.Foundational to the course is the use of a class-wide, semesterlongcourse project to emphasize the theoretical aspects of thesoftware process and the system used for scoring studentperformance on the project. One project is selected for theentire class with students divided into teams of four to sixstudents to support different functional requirement areas. Amilestone-driven approach is used following a modifiedversion of the Unified Process for project development.Student scores on the project are divided into a group score,assignable via a rubric-like grade sheet, and an individualscore which is determined by the individual’s effort asassigned using the task-management tool, Issue-Tracker.Experiences gained and lessons learned in teaching the courseare provided as a guide for those wishing to follow a similarapproach to teaching Software Engineering in the future

Enseñanza Práctica de Ingeniería del Software Mediante la Colaboración de Alumnos de Diferentes Cursos

Se presenta el contenido de las asignaturas de Ingeniería del Software correspondientes a la titulación de Ingeniero en Informática de la Universidad de Oviedo. Se describe fundamentalmente el modelo de prácticas que realizan los alumnos, en el que unos realizan la especificación de un producto y otros constituyen un equipo de calidad realizando revisiones del mismo

IS 2002 Model Curriculum and Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Information Systems

This article contains the official text of the IS 2002 Model Curriculum for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Information Systems as approved by The Association for Computing Machinery, The Association for Information Systems, and The Association of Information Technology Professionals. It is presented in its original form

Captivating open university students with online literature search tutorials created using screen capture software

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to share the experiences and challenges faced by the Open University Library (OUL) in using screen capture software to develop online literature search tutorials. Design/methodology/approach – A summary of information literacy support at the OUL is provided as background information to explain the decision to experiment with screen capture software with particular subjects. A detailed consideration of the design, development and implementation stages of a literature search tutorial in information and communication technology is given before a critical appraisal of the problems encountered. Findings – The paper highlights the challenges in writing and designing self-guided online learning materials in a subject context. It considers the strengths and weaknesses of the particular screen capture software used, especially with regard to accessibility. Practical implications – The paper is of interest not only to other academic libraries, but also any organisation seeking to publish online help or learning materials for different audiences. Originality/value – This paper is the first to document the use of screen capture software for information literacy purposes in a UK academic library and distance-learning context

A 150-Year History of Mechanical Engineering at Lehigh

There was mechanical engineering education at Lehigh from the very beginning, but it has taken various forms over the first 150 years, as will be seen. This compilation was undertaken at the urging of Chairman Gary Harlow. Several faculty were kind enough to contribute reminiscences to the recent history, extending the material available from the “Brown and White” and Lehigh catalogs. There is no claim of comprehensive thoroughness. Whatever the sources offered that seemed interesting and contributed to a feeling of the flavor of life in the department was included. The arrangement is approximately chronological and the content tends toward gossip at times. I hope readers are kept interested and gain an appreciation of the significant role our department has played on campus from the very beginning, 150 years ago