Designing and Assessing Authentic Software Development Projects in Undergraduate Computing Education

Author(s):
Chris Hundhausen
Professor and Associate Head of Online Programs
Oregon State University

Team software development projects are a crucial component of undergraduate computing education. Studies of software developers in industry underscore the need for undergraduates to acquire authentic software development experiences in which they develop solutions to realistic problems within collaborative software development contexts. Despite their clear educational value, team software development projects are notoriously challenging to implement and assess. Drawing on experience and research results relevant to designing and assessing team software development projects, this workshop identifies key barriers and opportunities; presents a custom learning environment, rooted in GitHub, for setting up, monitoring, and assessing team projects; and provides opportunities for participants to propose and discuss alternative pedagogical approaches, supporting technologies, and assessment techniques. We hope that participants come away from this workshop with a greater appreciation of the benefits and challenges of team software development projects, along with ideas and inspiration to implement and empirically explore alternatives in the future.

Coauthors

Phill Conrad, phtcon@ucsb.edu