Authors:
Andrea Valente
and
Emanuela Marchetti
Affiliation:
University of Aalborg, Denmark
Keyword(s):
Object-oriented Analysis, Rich Pictures, Authoring Tools, e-Learning Software, Information Engineering.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Computer-Supported Education
;
Cooperation with Industry in Teaching
;
Groupware Tools
;
Information Technologies Supporting Learning
;
Social Context and Learning Environments
Abstract:
Rich pictures (RP) are common in object-oriented analysis and design courses, but students seem to have problems in integrating them in their projects' workflow. A new software tool is being developed, specific for RP authoring. To better understand students' issues and working practice with RP, and gather requirements for the tool, we followed a user-centered design approach and performed a usability test with an early prototype. The findings suggest the presence of a gap between some of the modern object-oriented development practices and engineering students' values: some techniques, like RP, presuppose design skills that are alien to our students. To bridge this gap our tool aims at making design-specific skills optional, enhancing the conceptual analytical skills that software analysis shares with design. Further studies will be conducted to assess the impact of the tool on learning.