Authors:
Catherine Higgins
;
Ciaran O’Leary
;
Claire McAvinia
and
Barry Ryan
Affiliation:
Technological University Dublin, Dublin and Ireland
Keyword(s):
Software Development Education, Freshman University Students, Software Development Process.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Computer-Supported Education
;
Higher Order Thinking Skills
;
Learning/Teaching Methodologies and Assessment
;
Metrics and Performance Measurement
Abstract:
Despite the ever-growing demand for software development graduates, it is recognised that a significant barrier for increasing graduate numbers lies in the inherent difficulty in learning how to develop software. This paper presents a study that is part of a larger research project aimed at addressing the gap in the provision of educational software development processes for freshman, novice undergraduate learners, to improve proficiency levels. As a means of understanding how such learners problem solve in software development in the absence of a formal process, this study examines the experiences and depth of learning acquired by a sample set of novice, freshman university learners. The study finds that without the scaffolding of an appropriate structured development process tailored to novices, students are in danger of failing to engage with the problem solving skills necessary for software development, particularly the skill of designing solutions prior to coding.