Teaching global software engineering: experiences and lessons learned

Abstract

In this paper the author demonstrates how the GSE course was executed related to each level of the Bloom's taxonomy. It was observed that Bloom's taxonomy can play a vital role in order to effectively design and deliver a GSE course. Overall, the six levels of Bloom's cognitive domain were helpful in transforming students learning from the knowledge level to the evaluation level. However, it was observed that the knowledge level is not appropriate for higher calibre students because the content used in the knowledge level is often referred to as simple. The comprehension level seemed appropriate for all levels of students as they were able to produce different solutions based on their understanding of the problem domain. Many international students had problems with the application level as they were unable to apply the concepts and theories in the laboratories. For the analysis level, some students had difficulties in breaking down the bigger problem into smaller components. Students had mixed responses to the synthesis level. Students had some minor problems in the evaluation level. However, it was observed that if Bloom's taxonomy is used with other available teaching guidelines, the overall design and delivery of different courses can be improved.