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Pawing the Way for Interdisciplinary Learning in Software Development Education
Abstract
Successful software developers increasingly need interdisciplinary skills today. Therefore, we started to include mobile learning based interdisciplinary projects into our Computer Science Bachelor curriculum. One example is the introduction and design of a "Mobile Application Development" course module. First results show a high students' motivation for complex problem solving. In this paper we present our mobile learning concept including one corresponding interdisciplinary students' project, and first evaluation results.
... The popularity of hackathon formats rose during the mid to late 2000's and were predominantly associated with software development [83]. During the recent decade, there has been a broader dissemination as hackathon formats have been dispersed to design at large, and have become popular events in for example industry [69], government institutions [15], non-profit organizations [54], and education [79]. In this respect these formats have been considered to have a significant impact on the culture of digital innovation [15,75]. ...
... 21% of the reviewed sample) uses hackathons for structuring and facilitating learning. The hackathons in this context are referred to as both extracurricular activities (for example [6,29,31,62,80]) and part of a more formal educational setting (for example [12,57,79,88,104]). Many of the publications introduced hackathons in education in order to improve participants' skills related to for example computer science, communication, and, collaboration. ...
... Las instituciones de educación superior enfrentan el reto de construir programas flexibles que faciliten la colaboración interdisciplinaria entre diferentes Facultades, lo cual es indispensable para preparar a los estudiantes para su vida profesional (Noy et al., 2017). Es cada vez más evidente que los profesionistas exitosos requieren habilidades interdisciplinarias (Miladinovic & Schefer-Wenzl, 2017). Los profesionistas de hoy requieren replicar e integrar el conocimiento existente, y desarrollar las capacidades que les permitan reemplazar o adicionar nuevo conocimiento (Mahmud & Ridgman, 2015). ...
El presente trabajo muestra los resultados de una innovación educativa basada en la aplicación simultánea del aprendizaje basado en retos y el aprendizaje interdisciplinario en un conjunto de cursos que de manera integrada trabajaron un proyecto interdisciplinar con aplicación en una comunidad rural mexicana. La experiencia se desarrolló durante un semestre con el trabajo integrado de 72 alumnos pertenecientes a 6 materias de diferentes programas de estudio de las áreas de negocios e ingeniería en el Tecnológico de Monterrey Campus Hidalgo, México. Esta iniciativa presenta una aproximación a la implementación de estrategias de aprendizaje donde los alumnos aplican sus conocimientos de manera interdisciplinaria en contextos reales, trabajando de la mano de organizaciones dispuestas a participar como socios estratégicos en la formación de los estudiantes, recibiendo a la vez, los resultados de la aplicación como una posible fuente de solución a sus problemas. Los resultados obtenidos en la experiencia demuestran que los alumnos valoran de la experiencia la posibilidad de aplicar de manera integrada y colaborativa conocimientos de diversas áreas y les genera un sentido de satisfacción el observar que su trabajo permite aportar en el desarrollo de organizaciones de impacto, con presencia en comunidades con múltiples necesidades, a la vez que desarrollan competencias relevantes para su futuro profesional.
... The students stated several reasons for their high learning progress, including: the highly motivated Formula Student team that acted as a customer to our students, working on real problems with tough deadlines, competition character, success stories visible fast after solving an issue, and lecture, tutorial and coaching concept as a platform for continuous and flexible distance learning. More information about this project can be found in [38]. ...
Software development education requires students to be engaged in realistic software projects, which are increasingly developed in geographically distributed teams. Therefore, we started to include distance learning based projects into our software development courses. Combining distance learning and mobile technologies opens possibilities for new teaching methods, facilitating personalized, informal, situated, contextualized and ubiquitous learning. In this paper, we introduce a novel course module design, gradually
increasing mobile distance learning activities. It leverages different teaching methods, including elements from Just-in-Time Teaching, project-based learning and peer assessment.
... In this way we simulate a typical customervendor relationship, where the acceptance of a software is done by persons not involved in the development. We described one example of a student project within our course in [15]. ...
Software development education is a didactically challenging discipline. High failure rates, dissatisfying learning outcomes and low student satisfaction are common problems in this field. Consequently, educators are permanently looking for new ways in teaching software development courses.
In this paper, we introduce a novel course design for teaching software development topics. Our mobile learning based concept combines different teaching methods, including elements from Justin- Time Teaching, project-based learning and peer assessment. In addition, we use mobile devices in a triple didactical function to leverage all advantages of mobile learning. We also present the final grading as well as the evaluation results that show students' satisfaction with our course design.
Engineering studies are often too focused on the development of engineering skills. This results in graduates with deficits in 21st century skills, such as complex problem solving, teamwork, or communication skills. To address this issue, sophisticated concepts need to be introduced in order to attractively include 21st century skills into engineering curricula. This paper presents related concepts, which we have applied in the engineering degree programs, and discusses their benefits and drawbacks according to our experiences. We also provide recommendations about integrating 21st century skills courses into engineering curricula.
The popularization of mobile devices worldwide and their constant improvement in communicability, portability, navigation and content creation, opens up many possibilities for integration in the learning process. On the other hand the new educational approaches that focus on the student, promoted through the Personal Learning Environments (PLE) show evidence that it can be done successfully in most cases studied. However, these educational innovations have not yet been implemented in some Latin American countries, so the present research searches to introduce the PLE approach in Ecuadorian university, taking advantage of the functionalities offered by mobile devices not only for leisure but for learning activities in informal environments and which are recognized and valued in the academy. Similarly it is intended that students identify with these new Mobile Personal Learning Environments as ecosystems of lifelong learning.
The evolution of wireless technologies and the development of applications for mobile devices in higher education have been spectacular. For many educators, mobile technology in the field of teaching and learning has recently become one of the most important areas of research. Today, mobile learning is a strategic topic for many organizations concerned with education. In the future, more research should be conducted to transform education using mobile learning. The advent of new types of devices is disruptive to education, no matter what educators and education institutions do. Therefore, a thorough analysis, from a pedagogical and technological perspective, is key to ensuring appropriate usage and implementation of mobile learning. This Special Section of RUSC. Universities and Knowledge Society Journal presents a general overview of successful mobile learning experiences in higher education. Its aim is to share best practices and create new opportunities in universities. These mobile applications will add another layer to the learning and teaching processes.
Software development education is a didactically challenging discipline. High failure rates, dissatisfying learning outcomes and low student satisfaction are common problems in this field. Consequently, educators are permanently looking for new ways in teaching software development courses.
In this paper, we introduce a novel course design for teaching software development topics. Our mobile learning based concept combines different teaching methods, including elements from Justin- Time Teaching, project-based learning and peer assessment. In addition, we use mobile devices in a triple didactical function to leverage all advantages of mobile learning. We also present the final grading as well as the evaluation results that show students' satisfaction with our course design.
Quality issues are commonly reported following the development of mobile learning applications. To evaluate and increase the chance of the successful development of new mobile learning products, the adoption of a complete and well-defined set of technical quality aspects for mobile learning development and their adoption in the education environment are proposed. This work describes a model that captures most abstract and generic technical aspects of mobile learning service quality, including availability, fast response times, flexibility, scalability, usability, maintainability, functionality, functionality, reliability, connectivity, performance, user interface and security. A set of technical quality aspects was developed following a literature study focussing on standards and guidelines for learning and mobile application software quality. The presented case studies point to a set of contextual technical quality factors that influence the choice of mobile learning application. The findings also indicate that there are causal relationships between learner satisfaction and the overall proposed model technical quality aspects. The model has a positive impact on overall learning process outcomes by evaluating the technical aspects while maintaining the quality of mobile learning delivered. The model components purportedly affect learning outcomes by assessing and improving the acceptability to stakeholders of the technical aspects of mobile learning.
Hackathons have become an increasingly popular approach for organizations to both test their new products and services as well as to generate new ideas. Most events either focus on attracting external developers or requesting employees of the organization to focus on a specific problem. In this paper we describe extensions to this paradigm that open up the event to internal employees and preserve the open-ended nature of the hackathon itself. In this paper we describe our initial motivation and objectives for conducting an internal hackathon, our experience in pioneering an internal hackathon at AT&T including specific things we did to make the internal hackathon successful. We conclude with the benefits (both expected and unexpected) we achieved from the internal hackathon approach, and recommendations for continuing the use of this valuable tool within AT&T.
Wireless data communications in form of Short Message Service (SMS) and Wireless Access Protocols (WAP) browsers have gained global popularity, yet, not much has been done to extend the usage of these devices in electronic learning (e-learning). This project explores the extension of e-learning into wireless/handheld (W/H) computing devices with the help of a mobile learning (m-learning) framework. This framework provides the requirements to develop m-learning applications that can be used to complement classroom or distance learning. A prototype application was developed to link W/H devices to three course websites. The m-learning applications were pilot-tested for two semesters with a total of 63 students from undergraduate and graduate courses at our university. The students used the m-learning environment with a variety of W/H devices and reported their experiences through a survey and interviews at the end of the semester. The results from this exploratory study provide a better understanding on the role of mobile technology in higher education.
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