2023: PROMPT - Process Model for Managing Project-Based Teaching

Master's theses

Student
Valeryia Andraichuk

Supervisor(s)Advisor(s)

Abstract

Project-based teaching has been acknowledged as an effective educational approach, especially in the software engineering discipline [WR99]. One of the beneficial effects at- tributed to this pedagogical method is the learning experience that emerges from the environment that resembles the industry. Students are able to apply the wholesome theo- retical knowledge and practical skills acquired in the course of their educational path and working experience. With the goal to promote higher project authenticity and achieve higher industry resemblance, it is a common practice to collaborate with external industry clients [WR99, BKA15, Har97]. Nonetheless, the introduction of real-world projects into the academic environment comes with a set of challenges. The administrative and managerial burden of such a course organization is significantly higher than that of a traditional lecture. While a lot of research is available on the topic of project-based teaching to improve it from the student standpoint, the managerial challenges are often overlooked. Given limited human resources and time constraints of the academic staff, the administrative overhead of a project-based course can become a bottleneck for its adoption and conduction. This Master’s thesis addresses this gap by proposing a process model PROMPT (Process Model for Managing Project-based Teaching) and a reference implementation as a technical solution to alleviate the administrative burden of a project-based course administration.