Support Tool for Refining Conceptual Model in Collaborative Learning

Abstract

Conceptual modeling using the UML class diagram notation is one of the essential tasks in object-oriented analysis. In collaborative learning, it is difficult for learners to properly share the task of conceptual modeling in their group because a few members who are more skilled out of their group are apt to refine and maintain their single conceptual model. Consequently, as a result of iterative refinement, the others easily become unable to recognize links between their single conceptual model and other documents such as use case descriptions. To improve this problem, this paper proposes a support tool for refining a conceptual model in collaborative learning. This tool enables to automatically merge multiple partial conceptual models, to semi-automatically refine elements of the merged model, and to automatically reflect the refined elements in each partial conceptual model. The effectiveness of this tool was evaluated by applying it to a course of object-oriented development.