Software Engineering 2014 Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Software Engineering a volume of the Computing Curricula Series
Adaptation to Alternative Environments
Download 1.43 Mb.
|
- Navigate this page:
- Alternate Teaching Environments
- B.14.Synchronous Learning at Different Physical Locations
- B.15.Asynchronous Learning
Adaptation to Alternative EnvironmentsSoftware engineering curricula do not exist in isolation. They are found in institutions that have differing environments, goals, and practices. Software engineering curricula must be deliverable in a variety of fashions, as part of many different types of institutions. There are two main categories of “alternate” environments that will be discussed in this section. The first is alternate teaching environments that use nonstandard delivery methods. The second is alternate university organizational models that differ in some significant fashion from the traditional university. Alternate Teaching EnvironmentsAs higher education has become more universal, the standard teaching environment has tended toward an instructor in the front of a classroom. Although some institutions still retain limited aspects of a tutor-student relationship, the dominant delivery method in most higher education today is classroom-type instruction. The instructor presents material to a class using lecture or lecture/discussion presentation techniques. The lectures may be augmented by appropriate laboratory work. Class sizes range from fewer than 10 to more than 500. Recently, there has been a lot of interest in massive open online courses (MOOCs) that enroll several thousand students each time they are offered. Many MOOCs use the standard lecture format to present new material. Instruction in the computing disciplines has been notable because of the large amount of experimentation with delivery methods. This may be the result of the instructors’ familiarity with the capabilities of emerging technologies. It may also be the result of the youthfulness of the computing disciplines. Regardless of the cause, there are numerous papers in the SIGCSE Bulletin, the proceedings of the CSEE&T (Conference on Software Engineering Education & Training), the proceedings of the FIE (Frontiers in Education) conferences, and similar forums that recount significant modifications to the conventional lecture- and lecture/discussion-based classrooms. Examples include all laboratory instruction, the use of electronic whiteboards and tablet computers, problem-based learning, role-playing, activity-based learning, and various studio approaches that integrate laboratory, lecture, and discussion. As mentioned elsewhere in this report, it is imperative that experimentation and exploration be a part of any software engineering curriculum. Necessary curriculum changes are difficult to implement in an environment that does not support experimentation and exploration. A software engineering curriculum will rapidly become out of date unless there is a conscious effort to implement regular change. If recorded lectures are available for presenting new material, then class time may be used to engage in problem solving and other exercises. This style is sometimes referred to as “flipping the classroom”; students are expected to view the lectures on their own and then come to class prepared to engage in exercises. MOOCs might provide a source for prerecorded lectures. Much recent curricular experimentation has focused on distance learning. The term is not well defined. It can apply to situations where students are in different physical locations but still attend the same scheduled class. This style of learning is often referred to as “synchronous distance learning.” Distance learning may also refer to situations where students are in different physical locations but there is no scheduled class time. This style is often referred to as “asynchronous learning.” It is important to distinguish between these two cases. It is also important to recognize other cases as well, such as situations where students cannot attend regularly scheduled classes. B.14.Synchronous Learning at Different Physical LocationsInstructing students at different physical locations is a problem that has several solutions. Audio and video links have been used for many years, and broadband Internet connections are now less costly and more accessible. Instructor-student interaction is possible after all involved have learned how to manage the technology without confusion. Two-way video makes such interaction almost as natural as the interaction in a self-contained classroom. Online databases of problems and examples can be used to further support this type of instruction. Web resources, email, and Internet chat can provide a reasonable instructor “office hour” experience. Assignments can be submitted by email or by using a direct Internet connection. The current computing literature and departmental websites contain numerous descriptions of distance learning techniques. It should be noted that a complete solution to the problem of delivering courses to students in different locations is not a trivial matter, and any solution will require significant planning and appropriate additional support. Some may argue that there is no need to make special provisions for added time and support costs when one merely increases the size of an existing class by adding some “distance” students. Experience indicates that this is always a poor idea. Students in software engineering programs need to have experience working in teams. Students who are geographically isolated need to be accommodated in some fashion. It is unreasonable to expect that a geographically separated team will be able to do all of its work using email, chat, blogs, and newsgroups; these teams need additional monitoring and support. Videoconferencing and teleconferencing should be considered. Instructors may also want to schedule some meetings with teams, at least via teleconference or videoconference. Beginning students require significantly more monitoring than advanced students because of their lack of experience with geographically separated teams. One other problem with geographically diverse students is the evaluation of student performance. Appropriate responsible parties will need to be found to proctor examinations and to verify the identities of examinees. Care should be taken to ensure the proper evaluation of student performance. Placing too much reliance on one method (such as written examinations) may make evaluations unreliable. B.15.Asynchronous LearningSome institutions have a history of providing instruction to “mature” students who are employed in full-time jobs. Because of their work obligations, employed students are often unable to attend regular class meetings. Video recorded lectures, copies of class notes, and electronic copies of class presentations are all useful tools in these situations. A course website, class newsgroup, and class distribution list can provide further support. Instruction does not necessarily require scheduled class meetings. Self-scheduled and self-paced classes have been used at many institutions. Web-based classes have also been designed. Commercial and open source software has been developed to support many aspects of self-paced and Web-based courses. However, experience shows that the development of self-paced and Web-based instructional materials is expensive and time consuming. Almost all MOOCs are completely Web-based, providing recorded lectures and self-paced exercises. Some MOOCs also employ automatic grading technology. Although asynchronous learning provides flexibility in scheduling learning activities, most courses still expect students to complete assignments according to a weekly schedule. This helps encourage discipline and makes it possible for students to join study groups with other students enrolled in their courses. Students who do not have scheduled classroom instruction will still need team activities and experiences. Many of the comments here about geographically diverse teams will also apply to these students as well. An additional problem is created when students are learning at wildly different rates. Because different students will cover content at different times, it is not feasible to have content instruction and projects integrated in the same unit. Self-paced project courses are another serious problem. It is difficult to coordinate team activities when different team members are working at different paces. Directory: cms cms -> Security Survey cms -> 1. naclo 2015 – North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad cms -> 1. naclo 2017 – North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad cms -> Chem I honors Unit 2 Notes: Numbers in Chemistry Measurement cms -> Sanderson High School ap human Geography Summer Assignment 2016 cms -> Find fantastic ousd elementary music programs cms -> Tiger Leaps Progress Update from Tenafly High School March 28, 2012 English cms -> Lorain county board of commissioners cms -> Haiti Relief – esf 15 Support Organization Situation Report # 17 1/28/10 Download 1.43 Mb. Share with your friends:
|