| Activity name |
9. Cross-Site Software Development - experiment |
| Participants |
Durham and Newcastle |
Aims Covered: 2, 3 |
| Timescales |
April 05-July 05 |
| Background |
This activity will align group-work activities to students' future work-based practices. Industrial software is often produced over numerous sites. |
| Activity |
This will investigate the feasibility of students' projects being developed across sites. A case study that allows students to utilise the expertise from their site's research-led modules will provide strategic coupling of cross-site student groups. The activity will investigate the:
- types of suitable projects
- format and documentation to explain the process
- interest and fears of students (and how these can be accommodated)
A small number of students will be selected (volunteers) to trial the approach. The video conferencing communications equipment will allow students to communicate effectively between sites. |
| Evaluation |
- Review problems, conduct interviews with students and staff.
- Compare results at both sites and evaluate whether solutions can be identified.
|
| Expected outcomes |
- An experience report detailing approaches, problems and solutions.
- Techniques and support materials/software to aid communication and discussion of technical problems via electronic communication.
- Procedures to ensure that no student fails on account of the poor performance of another.
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| Risks |
- Students working with others - research [Drummond00] shows that the educational benefits make this worth progressing.
- Technology failure for communication - resolved in Activity 1
- Students not properly communicating - this is part of the student learning experience but we will monitor and control problems as they occur. Mitigration: develop support materials.
- General problems with group-working - share ALiC's expertise in dealing with and preventing these problems.
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