Improving collaborative learning in online software engineering education

Team projects are commonplace in software engineering education. They address a key educational objective, provide students critical experience relevant to their future careers, allow instructors to set problems of greater scale and complexity than could be tackled individually, and are a vehicle for socially constructed learning. While all student teams experience challenges, those in fully online programmes must also deal with remote working, asynchronous coordination, and computer-mediated communications all of which contribute to greater social distance between team members. We have developed a facilitation framework to aid team collaboration and have demonstrated its efficacy, in prior research, with respect to team performance and outcomes. Those studies indicated, however, that despite experiencing improved project outcomes, students working in effective software engineering teams did not experience significantly improved individual achievement. To address this deficiency we implemented theoretically grounded refinements to the collaboration model based upon peer-tutoring research. Our results indicate a modest, but statistically significant (p?=?.08), improvement in individual achievement using this refined model.     

Serious games for learning: games-based child sexual abuse prevention in schools

In spite of research demonstrating conceptual weakness in many child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention programmes and outdated modes of delivery, students continue to participate in a diversity of initiatives. Referring to the development of a games-based approach to CSA prevention in Australia, this paper examines empirically based attributes of effective CSA prevention programmes for schools including contemporary pedagogies for learning. The paper draws on findings to inform the conceptual development phase of Orbit, an online, free and equal-access, games-based educational approach to CSA prevention for children aged 8–10 years. First, the paper provides a review of CSA prevention in schools and games-based approaches to key learnings in prevention. Second, an overview of Orbit (the Feeling Safe sexual abuse prevention project) is provided. Finally, implications for the development of games-based prevention programmes are offered and an argument is made for the advancement of games-based prevention resources.     

An engineering application for hypertext

This paper discusses the underlying framework for the protetype of a Hypertext-based tool for the preparation of on-line Design Brief Expansion (DBE) Documents as applied to a systematic design process. It describes the mapping of the DBE into Hypertext and shows how the electronic version of this process is not only more efficient, but also conveys more accessible information than a traditional paper version. It also explains how a natural language system (chunker) can be used to structure the information. The paper concludes with an assessment of how the prototype, implemented in C and HyperNeWS, will be used and a discussion of future improvements.     

面向侧面的软件逆向工程

1IntroductionSoftware reverse engineering is a process of analyz-ing a software system to identify its components andtheir interrelationships and create representations ofthe system in another form,or at a higher level ofabstraction[1].Xi Dian reverse engineering tool(XDRE)[2]previously developed in the author’s labcan partially recover the UML diagrams from C source codes[3].However,the fact that crosscuttingconcerns cannot be extracted by most software reverseengineeringtools is ani mp…     

An evaluation of a project-based learning initiative in engineering education

Project-based learning (PBL) is a well-known methodology for engineering design education due to a number of benefits it is claimed to offer. This paper presents the initial offering of a first-year engineering PBL unit at Griffith University in Australia. An evaluation of student perceptions of the unit revealed that students generally enjoyed the experience, with the oral presentation aspect receiving the lowest satisfaction rating. There was no significant difference in the ratings between any demographic grouping, suggesting that all students were able to participate in, and experience, the unit in essentially the same way. The best aspects of the unit and those aspects needing improvement were similar to the findings of other investigations documented in the literature. It is proposed that future offerings of the unit will reduce the number of design projects from three to two per semester and will attempt more sophisticated individualisation of marks for group work activities.     

An overview of game-based learning in building services engineering education

To ensure proper competence development and short graduation times for engineering students, it is essential that the study motivation is encouraged by new learning methods. In game-based learning, the learner's engagement is increased and learning is made meaningful by applying game-like features such as competition and rewarding through virtual promotions or achievement badges. In this paper, the state of the art of game-based learning in building services engineering education at university level is reviewed and discussed. A systematic literature review indicates that educational games have been reported in the field of related disciplines, such as mechanical and civil engineering. The development of system-level educational games that realistically simulate work life in building services engineering is still in its infancy. Novel rewarding practices and more comprehensive approaches entailing the state-of-the-art information tools such as building information modelling, geographic information systems, building management systems and augmented reality are needed in the future.     

学习者学习的软件--"学件"

“学件”是用于学习者学习的软件。学件与课件不仅在概念上不同，更重要的是它们在服务对象、使用目的、解决问题与制作要求的侧重点都有很大的不同。本文对学件的设计和制作提出了应该遵循的6个原则，而对它的发展则预测性提出4个趋向。     

软件开发过程中的数据挖掘

传统的软件工程方法着眼于软件技术和软件开发过程本身,软件项目的成败取决于工程人员的个人素质.将数据挖掘技术引入软件工程领域可帮助缺乏经验的工程人员更有效地预测和管理项目进度,在不影响软件质量的前提下缩短软件开发周期,最终降低软件开发成本.     

From Mario to FIFA: what qualitative case study research suggests about games-based learning in a US classroom

This article explores the impact of using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) videogames in a high school curriculum when developed through a connected learning frame by examining the influence that COTS videogames have on transforming students’ literacy learning in-school. However, it must be noted that transforming literacy in school is about more than bridging in- and out-of-school literacies; it concerns developing a deeper understanding of the meaning of literacy in today’s multimediated world, and the ways that these experiences are connected not only to media, but to traditional texts, peers, and guiding teachers, so that we can better grasp how to harness new learning styles and new ways of making meaning in contemporary classroom spaces. To understand how to capture in and out-of-school practices, we conducted a qualitative case study of two high school students enrolled in a reading intervention class that incorporated a COTS videogames curriculum. Data were analyzed via a constant comparison analysis. Findings indicated that the games-based curriculum created through a connected learning frame enabled students to engage in a constellation of connections among digital media, traditional texts, peers, and guiding teachers.     

Education development within engineering

Academic engineers who are interested in teaching often find themselves, either formally or informally, taking on the role of ‘education developer’ for their department or faculty. The trend to move towards educational development within disciplines is fairly recent and brings with it a range of interesting opportunities and challenges. Here we will look at the various issues that might occur and provide a way of looking at these that enable faculty in this position to select the most appropriate alternative for their own context.     

Managing courseware production: An instructional design model with a software engineering approach

In applied courseware production settings, two equally important processes tend to vie for attention: Instructional Design (ID) and Management. Together, these two processes comprise instructional systems development (ISD). To ensure the instructional appropriateness of courseware, an ID model is proposed to remind producers of the important instructional factors and process. This model contains three stages. The analysis stage draws out and documents background information. The development stage constructs content, measurement, strategies, media, and settings. This stage can be further divided into prototype design and formal production. The last stage is the evaluation stage which includes pilot testing and summative evaluation.This paper also proposes a project template to manage production activities based on a software engineering approach. This template prescribes a procedural flow, role explanation, and task definition. It helps producers to estimate and coordinate the efforts of the production team. Its step-by-step confirmation ensures that the courseware product will meet the customer's needs. An example project was used to verify the usefulness of the ID model and project template.     

An enriched multimedia eBook application to facilitate learning of anatomy

This pilot study compared the use of an enriched multimedia eBook with traditional methods for teaching the gross anatomy of the heart and great vessels. Seventy‐one first‐year students from an Australian medical school participated in the study. Students' abilities were examined by pretest, intervention, and post‐test measurements. Perceptions and attitudes toward eBook technology were examined by survey questions. Results indicated a strongly positive user experience coupled with increased marks; however, there were no statistically significant results for the eBook method of delivery alone outperforming the traditional anatomy practical session. Results did show a statistically significant difference in the final marks achieved based on the sequencing of the learning modalities. With initial interaction with the multimedia content followed by active experimentation in the anatomy lab, students' performance was improved in the final test. Obtained data support the role of eBook technology in modern anatomy curriculum being a useful adjunct to traditional methods. Further study is needed to investigate the importance of sequencing of teaching interventions. Anat Sci Educ. 7: 19–27. © 2013 American Association of Anatomists.     

An evaluation of the learning of structural engineering concepts during the first two years of a project-based engineering degree

In the modern working environment it is essential for a structural engineer to have an understanding of abstract concepts in structural behaviour and an ability to use them qualitatively. This paper presents the findings of a study on how effectively students acquire such conceptual understanding within a new project/design focused degree course. The new degree programme is described. The first-year students experience a mixture of learning opportunities, including model building/testing, laboratories, workshops/tutorials, and lectures. In the second year there are two design exercises but no formal structural theory course. Specific concepts-based learning material was introduced into the first-year course at mid-semester and the effectiveness of this examined by tests and interviews. The performance of the first-year students is compared to that of the second-year students. The findings show that there is good student engagement and satisfaction with the course and that basic skills are successfully being acquired throughout both years. However, the study highlights areas where concepts are not being adequately developed in the first year and subsequently show little enhancement in the second year.     

Experience of cooperative learning in engineering

The objective of this work is to share the authors’ experience towards a different mode of teaching/learning method. Cooperative learning (Jigsaw) was employed on the University of Vigo's fourth-year engineering students. The results of the experience show that cooperative learning is quite a viable alternative to the classical way of lecturing at the university when the number of students is not too high. The authors’ observation indicates that students did not show a lot of interest towards the new learning style but their resistance changed once they began the activity. The Jigsaw method has proved to be a useful tool for improving the learning process so that students have the opportunity to participate actively in the learning activities.     

Feedback processes in multimedia language learning software

Feedback has been one of the important elements of learning and teaching theories and still pervades the literature and instructional models, especially computer and web-based ones. However, the mechanisms about feedback dominating the fundamentals of all the instructional models designed for self-learning have changed considerably with the interactive multimedia technology of today, which have recourse to a wider range of potential in terms of use and functionality. The study intends to indicate that feedback has double functions： On one hand, it has classic ＂triad＂ functions--feedback as motivator, reinforcement and information--in terms of computer-assisted instruction and, on the other hand, as it is emphasized in this study, it forms the core and maintains the continuity of the machine-learner interaction in multimedia software designed today. This work, originally a discussion paper, consists of a review of the related literature and analyses of the software programs designed for teaching French to adults as foreign language in French module of Multimedia Language Learning Centre at Charles-de-Gaulle University （Lille-France）.     

Towards a controlled vocabulary on software engineering education

Software engineering is the discipline that develops all the aspects of the production of software. Although there are guidelines about what topics to include in a software engineering curricula, it is usually unclear which are the best methods to teach them. In any science discipline the construction of a classification schema is a common approach to understand a thematic area. This study examines previous publications in software engineering education to obtain a first controlled vocabulary (a more formal definition of a classification schema) in the field. Publications from 1988 to 2014 were collected and processed using automatic clustering techniques and the outcomes were analysed manually. The result is an initial controlled vocabulary with a taxonomy form with 43 concepts that were identified as the most used in the research publications. We present the classification of the concepts in three facets: ‘what to teach’, ‘how to teach’ and ‘where to teach’ and the evolution of concepts over time.     

项目驱动的软件工程进化式教学方法

将迭代进化的思想引入软件工程课程的教学中,提出项目驱动的进化式的教学方法。该方法以达到实用程度的软件项目贯穿教学过程的始终,根据该软件开发的三次迭代,将教学过程分为三个阶段,各阶段分别采用"教师引导学习、教师指导实践、学生独立实践"的教学方式,使学生对软件工程原理和方法达到从认知到理解再到应用的进化式掌握。