Evaluation and Use of a Student-Centered Syllabus for the Software Process Subject in a Postgraduate Course: A Quasi-Experiment

Abstract

Background: The software-development process is considered a knowledge area in software engineering that allows the performance of activities for the inception of a functional software. In a globalized software context, where companies and organizations have their data and information controlled by applications, it can be seen that the form of construction, that is, the path for which the software is built, has relevance for users. Problem Analysis: Within this reality, it is possible to observe that over the years, scientific research has identified competence deficits for professionals trained in software engineering and more specifically in the software-development processes. Purpose: This work aims to develop and apply a syllabus for the software-development process, with student-centered learning strategies, as it allows for centrality of the teaching and learning process for the student. Methods: The strategies were selected through a literature review, which informed which ones were adopted to intervene in the traditional teaching process in software. Other methodological procedures adopted to identification of the necessary requirements for the development of the syllabus were (i) a survey with the identification and perception of professionals and professors on the research theme, (ii) equivalence mapping of the main documents related to the theme of research at an educational level, and (iii) the identification of how to develop a syllabus. After gathering the requirements, the syllabus was designed and described in each of its parts based on the specialized literature. The evaluation of the syllabus took place in two stages: (i) an expert panel, where experts in the software-development process and student-centered learning were selected, who contributed points to be adjusted for the use of the syllabus, and (ii) the experiment, which was the use of the syllabus in comparison with the traditional approach (use of theoretical classes, exercise list, and written test), through the control and experimental groups. Results: Data generated by using the syllabus in the experiment, as well as data from the control group, were analyzed using the two-tailed Student-t technique. The results achieved in the work demonstrate that there was a considerable gain in learning compared to the control group. Another result point of the syllabus was that through the project strategies, students had contact with a progression of knowledge related to hypothetical cases that simulated reality, which students reported was very good for their knowledge. Conclusions: The use of student-centered strategies can bring benefits in the learning of software-development processes, as it allows a practical application of real scenarios observed in software-development companies.