Uolevi Nikula

A Motivation Guided Holistic Rehabilitation of the First Programming Course

It has been estimated that more than two million students started computing studies in 1999 and 650,000 of them either dropped or failed their first programming course. For the individual student, dropping such a course can distract from the completion of later courses in a computing curriculum and may even result in changing their course of study to a curriculum without programming. In this article, we report on how we set out to rehabilitate a troubled first programming course, one for which the dropout statistic and repercussion was evident. The five-year longitudinal case study described in this article began by systematically tracking the pass rate of a first programming course, its throughput, as proposed by the Theory of Constraints. The analyses of these data indicated three main problems in the course: programming discipline difficulty, course arrangement complexity, and limited student motivation. The motivation problem was approached from the Two-Factor Theory point of view. It investigated those factors that led to dissatisfaction among the students, the hygiene factors, and those factors that led to satisfaction, the intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. The course arrangement complexity was found to be a hygiene factor, while the lack of extrinsic and intrinsic motivators contributed to the high dropout rates. The course improvement efforts made no attempt to change the inherent characteristics of the programming discipline, but introduced holistic changes in the course arrangements over a five-year period, from 2005 to 2009, to eliminate the hygiene factors and to increase motivational aspects of the course. This systems approach to course improvement resulted in an increase in the pass rate, from 44% prior to the changes to 68% thereafter, and the overall course atmosphere turned positive. This paper reports on the detailed changes that were made and the improvements that were achieved over this five-year period.

What do we know about software product management? - a systematic mapping study

Software product management (SPM) offers tools and practices for achieving business goals of a company as well as for increasing the predictability and profitability of software product development. Despite the importance of this topic, the studies of SPM have this far been fragmented. The goal of the present study is to summarize the existing knowledge in software product management and identify the areas which need further research. The paper reports the conduct and the results of a systematic mapping study which identified 25 studies on SPM. Still, most of the papers had only hypotheses and theories that were not empirically confirmed or the confirmation was based on a small set of cases. The existing knowledge of software product management consists of small and unconnected pieces. In addition to this, our specific interest, software product management in the cloud environment has not been studied at all. However, since both researchers and practitioners find research in SPM important, this area needs more research in the future.

Increasing collaborative communications in a programming course with gamification: a case study

In this case study we present an approach for using gamification elements to increase online student collaboration. In the study a gamified online discussion system was added to an introduction to programming course, with the aim of motivating the students to help each other. The actions in the discussion systems were analyzed and compared with user profiles and a student survey. The system had a positive impact on the course, increasing student collaboration, reduced response times and made course communications 88% more efficient by reducing email traffic.

Estimating programming knowledge with Bayesian knowledge tracing

In this paper we present a concept for three-phase measuring method, which can be used to obtain data on student learning. The focus of this method lies on the technical aspects of learning programming, answering questions like which programming constructs students applied and how large portion of the students understood the concepts of programming language. The model is based on three consecutive measurements, which are used to observe the student errors, applied programming structures and an application of a Bayesian learning model to determine the programming knowledge. So far the model has produced results which confirm prior knowledge on student learning, indicating that the concept is feasible for further development. Despite of the early development phase of the method, it offers a straightforward way for teacher to assess the course contents and student performance.

Lean Solutions to Software Product Management Problems

Although the discipline of software product management plays an important role in the development of successful products, each company adopts its practices in its own way. Regardless of variations, companies face common problems. This article identifies five problems that lean principles to software product management can help organizations avoid or solve.

Empirical validation of the Classic Change Curve on a software technology change project

Context: New processes, tools, and practices are being introduced into software companies at an increasing rate. With each new advance in technology, software managers need to consider not only whether it is time to change the technologies currently used, but also whether an evolutionary change is sufficient or a revolutionary change is required. Objective: In this paper, we approach this dilemma from the organizational and technology research points of view to see whether they can help software companies in initiating and managing technology change. In particular, we explore the fit of the technology S-curve, the Classic Change Curve, and a technological change framework to a software technology change project and examine the insights that such frameworks can bring. Method: The descriptive case study described in this paper summarizes a software technology change project in which a 30-year old legacy information system running on a mainframe was replaced by a network server system at the same time as the individual-centric development practices were replaced with organization-centric ones. The study is based on a review of the companys annual reports, in conjunction with other archival documents, five interviews and collaboration with a key stakeholder in the company. Results: Analyses of the collected data suggest that software technology change follows the general change research findings as characterized by the technology S-curve and the Classic Change Curve. Further, that such frameworks present critical questions for management to address when embarking on and then running such projects. Conclusions: We describe how understanding why a software technology change project is started, the way in which it unfolds, and how different factors affect it, are essential tools for project leaders in preparing for change projects and for keeping them under control. Moreover, we show how it is equally important to understand how software technology change can work as a catalyst in revitalizing a stagnated organization, facilitating other changes and thereby helping an organization to redefine its role in the marketplace.

Comparison of two models of success prediction in software development projects

Background: The size and complexity of software development projects are growing. At the same time, the proportion of successful projects is still quite low according to the previous research. One way to approach this problem is to develop and use methods that can predict project success beforehand and act accordingly.

Assessing and improving the front end activities of software development

The most significant benefits in software development can be achieved through improvements in the front end activities. By improving these processes, the likelihood of delivering high quality software and future business success increases. In this paper, a case study of initial state assessment of requirements engineering (RE) practices in a small software house is reported, along with an outline to improve them. The data was collected by interviewing all company employees with designer responsibilities and a meeting with unit managers was conducted to complement the designer viewpoints on company RE practices and development needs. The findings suggest a need to improve practices in all key RE areas, starting with training the practices and techniques considered suitable for the company. Collaboration and team spirit within the development units were also found to be an essential part of the improvement effort.

Computer science students making games: a study on skill gaps and requirement

Computer science (CS) is a field of practical and scientific approach on computation and applications. Consequently, the CS students should be able to adjust to develop different types of software applications. However, even though video games are one type of software, they also impose additional requirements for the developers. In this paper we present the results of our qualitative studies on how prepared CS students are to function as game developers. The paper assesses the knowledge gaps between students majoring in computer science and game developer needs in two ways; a longitudinal study on a game development course and a focused case study on developing a game. Based on our results there are differences in communication and planning approaches between the CS students and game developers, and skill needs for game development content on a traditional computer science course curricula.

Comparison of Software Product Management Practices in SMEs and Large Enterprises

The aim of this interpretive qualitative study was to understand how software product management (SPM) activities differ in SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) and in large enterprises (LEs). We studied thirteen software organizations representing various types of software products and analyzed the collected data by applying the grounded theory method. As a result, we summarized the observations, explaining the main differences between SMEs and LEs and identified SPM activities that are size-dependent, size-independent, and specific for SMEs and LEs only. Our results indicate that the company size affects goals and activities of SPM. Therefore, companies of different size require different approaches in the adoption of SPM activities.