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Active Learning for Object-oriented Design: [Sunday, 15 October 2000 ]

• Many people are introduced to object-oriented concepts, but only learn the words. This workshop explored “active learning” techniques for object-oriented design, where innovative teaching strategies are used to allow learners to be actively engaged in design work from an early point. Our focus was on design mentoring and innovative active strategies; we explored new techniques, new applications or extensions of well-known techniques, and case studies. The workshop consisted of presentations on these topics, and immediate active experimentation using the techniques.

• More details at this URL: http://www.mcs.vuw.ac.nz/research/design1/

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Workshop Results:OOD Active Learning Model

Design Team

Larger Group

Team Design Techniques:(for use in any team design situation)

Team Design Demonstration Techniques:(for use in demonstrating team design to a larger audience)

Larger Group Involvement Techniques:(to involve larger group in design teamdemonstrations)

Idea: Link active learning in design teams to active learning in larger group audience

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Team Design Techniques

• Analysis Roleplay: analysts vs customers• Early Candidate Object Identification• Design of Use Case Bodies before CRC• Essential Use Cases, UC Cards, Roleplay• Partition into objects with CRC and Roleplay• Token in Roleplay to show control flow• Monitor traceability: Reqs to UC to CRC• Consider design alternatives, change situations

• Issues: – What should happen to CRC cards after CRC design?

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Design Team Demonstration Techniques

• Clearly distinguish objects vs. classes

• Use token to show control & info flow

• Scribes record sequence diagram live in CRC

• Show traceability: Reqs to UC to CRC

• Consider design alternatives and change situations

• Issues: – How to show information/objects passed around?

– How to show which objects are known and can be sent messages?

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Larger Group Involvement Techniques

• Buzz Groups: think-pair-square-share-feedback– E.g. find objects, find use cases, find use case body

• Motivate by Involvement– Create vested interest by prediction, votes

– E.g. individuals in group predict objects, use cases, etc.

• Create teams with large group, do design exercise,present design work for larger group review

• In general, many standard “active learning” techniques can be use to involve large groups in demonstration team design

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Some further ideas to try out

• In demonstration object roleplay:– Better identify which objects messages can be sent to

(e.g. use “object reference” cards with object ids?)– Use large audience to represent large collections of

objects– Document roleplay with live sequence diagram

• Do more sessions reviewing team designs in front of larger groups

• Stress more:– Responsibility early (use in definition of “object”)– Inheritance late (demonstrate designs with no inheritance)

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Social Issues

• Course level:– Lack of student/staff respect

for “hokey” techniques• Stress simulation of business processes?• Stress fun?

• Design Team level:– Manage over-involvement– Improve under-involvement– Address dysfunctionality