Provided by the author(s) and University College Dublin Library in accordance with publisher poli... more Provided by the author(s) and University College Dublin Library in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite the published version when available. Downloaded 2016-05-12T00:54:27Z Some rights reserved. For more information, please see the item record link above. Title Sense and sensibility: collaborative & interdisciplinaryproblem design in PBL initiatives
Software Engineering graduates are expected to enter the workforce with both technical and soft s... more Software Engineering graduates are expected to enter the workforce with both technical and soft skills. In addition, software quality is a topic that is becoming increasingly important both because of educational and industry requirements. Software engineering lecturers need to bring their research into the classroom. Bringing all of these together can pose the lecturer with a dilemma that is not easily solvable. This paper presents how problem-based learning, a pedagogical methodology that is popular in medicine and other disciplines, can be used to accomplish these goals in a single course module. It describes a research project which analyses the implementation of problem-based learning within a M.Sc. Software Engineering Quality Module, and evaluates the outcomes against published expectations. 1. Essential Skills for Software Engineers In the four decades since the first use of the formulation “software engineering ” [1], its meaning has expanded from a powerful metaphor to des...
Provided by the author(s) and University College Dublin Library in accordance with publisher poli... more Provided by the author(s) and University College Dublin Library in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite the published version when available. Downloaded 2016-05-12T00:54:27Z Some rights reserved. For more information, please see the item record link above. Title Sense and sensibility: collaborative & interdisciplinaryproblem design in PBL initiatives
The booklet is organized into two sections. Part 1 provides an overview which answers the broad q... more The booklet is organized into two sections. Part 1 provides an overview which answers the broad question of what is enquiry/problembased learning. Part 2 presents four case studies of enquiry/problem-based learning. The booklet draws on a few key texts but particularly on another publication by Barrett and Cashman (eds) entitled A Practitioner’s Guide to Enquiry and Problem-based Learning (2010
Purpose This paper aims to explore how in Irish small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), probl... more Purpose This paper aims to explore how in Irish small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), problem-based learning (PBL) could possibly provide a paradigm which addresses two key research objectives: What are the learning needs and challenges faced by Irish SMEs? and How could PBL satisfy these needs through integrating formal and informal learning? Design/methodology/approach An action research methodology was adopted using Lewin’s (1994) action research cycle. In the reconnaissance stage, surveys and focus groups were conducted with a purposive research sample of Irish SMEs regarding their learning needs and challenges. Based on these results, a plan was formulated to adapt the traditional PBL model into a workplace PBL model (wPBL). Lastly, the wPBL model was implemented and evaluated in 42 SMEs. Findings The research identified several specific learning needs for SMEs, namely, learning that is cost-effective, tailored to the company and its challenges, immediately applied, demon...
Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 2015
Education providers experiment with different pedagogical strategies that depart from traditional... more Education providers experiment with different pedagogical strategies that depart from traditional modes of delivery. Problem-based learning (PBL), which enhances and leverages practitioners’ competencies and skill-sets, is one such strategy. Transitioning to PBL can prove challenging for course design teams. This paper provides evidence-based insights into this transition by detailing how a management development programme for 10 frontline managers transitioned from traditional to pilot PBL delivery. Drawing on the six stages identified in the transition, and empirical data on the student experience, five conclusions on managing the transition to PBL were identified: (1) critical involvement and input of stakeholders external to the course design team; (2) need to adapt PBL for institutional, discipline and cohort fit; (3) importance of preparing the student cohort to cope with the inherent tensions of PBL; (4) managing their potential demands for additional control; (5) clarification of opportunity and resource costs that arise from implementing PBL.
With a focus on addressing the perceived skills gap in Software Engineering (SE) graduates, some ... more With a focus on addressing the perceived skills gap in Software Engineering (SE) graduates, some educators have looked to employing alternative teaching and learning strategies in the classroom. One such pedagogy is Problem-Based Learning (PBL), an approach the authors have incorporated into the SE curriculum in two separate third-level institutions in Ireland, namely the University of Limerick (UL) and the National College of Ireland (NCI). PBL is an approach to teaching and learning which is quite different to the more typical “lecture” style found in most 3rd level institutions. PBL allows lecturers to meet educational and industry-specific objectives; however, while it has been used widely in Medical and Business schools, its use has not been so widespread with computing educators. PBL is not without its difficulties given that it requires significant changes in the role of the lecturer and the active participation of the students. Here, the authors present the approach taken to...
Provided by the author(s) and University College Dublin Library in accordance with publisher poli... more Provided by the author(s) and University College Dublin Library in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite the published version when available. Downloaded 2016-05-12T00:54:27Z Some rights reserved. For more information, please see the item record link above. Title Sense and sensibility: collaborative & interdisciplinaryproblem design in PBL initiatives
Software Engineering graduates are expected to enter the workforce with both technical and soft s... more Software Engineering graduates are expected to enter the workforce with both technical and soft skills. In addition, software quality is a topic that is becoming increasingly important both because of educational and industry requirements. Software engineering lecturers need to bring their research into the classroom. Bringing all of these together can pose the lecturer with a dilemma that is not easily solvable. This paper presents how problem-based learning, a pedagogical methodology that is popular in medicine and other disciplines, can be used to accomplish these goals in a single course module. It describes a research project which analyses the implementation of problem-based learning within a M.Sc. Software Engineering Quality Module, and evaluates the outcomes against published expectations. 1. Essential Skills for Software Engineers In the four decades since the first use of the formulation “software engineering ” [1], its meaning has expanded from a powerful metaphor to des...
Provided by the author(s) and University College Dublin Library in accordance with publisher poli... more Provided by the author(s) and University College Dublin Library in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite the published version when available. Downloaded 2016-05-12T00:54:27Z Some rights reserved. For more information, please see the item record link above. Title Sense and sensibility: collaborative & interdisciplinaryproblem design in PBL initiatives
The booklet is organized into two sections. Part 1 provides an overview which answers the broad q... more The booklet is organized into two sections. Part 1 provides an overview which answers the broad question of what is enquiry/problembased learning. Part 2 presents four case studies of enquiry/problem-based learning. The booklet draws on a few key texts but particularly on another publication by Barrett and Cashman (eds) entitled A Practitioner’s Guide to Enquiry and Problem-based Learning (2010
Purpose This paper aims to explore how in Irish small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), probl... more Purpose This paper aims to explore how in Irish small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), problem-based learning (PBL) could possibly provide a paradigm which addresses two key research objectives: What are the learning needs and challenges faced by Irish SMEs? and How could PBL satisfy these needs through integrating formal and informal learning? Design/methodology/approach An action research methodology was adopted using Lewin’s (1994) action research cycle. In the reconnaissance stage, surveys and focus groups were conducted with a purposive research sample of Irish SMEs regarding their learning needs and challenges. Based on these results, a plan was formulated to adapt the traditional PBL model into a workplace PBL model (wPBL). Lastly, the wPBL model was implemented and evaluated in 42 SMEs. Findings The research identified several specific learning needs for SMEs, namely, learning that is cost-effective, tailored to the company and its challenges, immediately applied, demon...
Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 2015
Education providers experiment with different pedagogical strategies that depart from traditional... more Education providers experiment with different pedagogical strategies that depart from traditional modes of delivery. Problem-based learning (PBL), which enhances and leverages practitioners’ competencies and skill-sets, is one such strategy. Transitioning to PBL can prove challenging for course design teams. This paper provides evidence-based insights into this transition by detailing how a management development programme for 10 frontline managers transitioned from traditional to pilot PBL delivery. Drawing on the six stages identified in the transition, and empirical data on the student experience, five conclusions on managing the transition to PBL were identified: (1) critical involvement and input of stakeholders external to the course design team; (2) need to adapt PBL for institutional, discipline and cohort fit; (3) importance of preparing the student cohort to cope with the inherent tensions of PBL; (4) managing their potential demands for additional control; (5) clarification of opportunity and resource costs that arise from implementing PBL.
With a focus on addressing the perceived skills gap in Software Engineering (SE) graduates, some ... more With a focus on addressing the perceived skills gap in Software Engineering (SE) graduates, some educators have looked to employing alternative teaching and learning strategies in the classroom. One such pedagogy is Problem-Based Learning (PBL), an approach the authors have incorporated into the SE curriculum in two separate third-level institutions in Ireland, namely the University of Limerick (UL) and the National College of Ireland (NCI). PBL is an approach to teaching and learning which is quite different to the more typical “lecture” style found in most 3rd level institutions. PBL allows lecturers to meet educational and industry-specific objectives; however, while it has been used widely in Medical and Business schools, its use has not been so widespread with computing educators. PBL is not without its difficulties given that it requires significant changes in the role of the lecturer and the active participation of the students. Here, the authors present the approach taken to...
Uploads
Papers by Yvonne Delaney