Mini-Projects Development in Computer Science - Students' Use of Organization Tools
Volume 4, Issue 2 (2005), pp. 307–319
Pub. online: 15 October 2005
Type: Article
Published
15 October 2005
15 October 2005
Abstract
This paper describes a study aimed at identifying different profiles of students' project development processes. Specifically, we assessed the use of abstract data types for the development of knowledge-based projects.
The concept of abstract data types was introduced to high school students who took the course ``Computer Science-Logic Programming''. During their studies the students learned and practiced various tools and methods of project development, one of which was based on the use of abstract data types as tools for problem solving and knowledge representation.
To this end, a one-day workshop for team development of mini-projects was organized, and the whole development process was audio and video documented, categorized and analyzed. The profiles of team behavior in the project development process were specified. The analysis of the profiles resulted in identifying four types of project development teams, all of which employed some organizing tool in developing their projects. Two types of the developing teams used abstract data types and two used other methods. The findings indicated that the process of project development of those who used abstract data types was more structured and more organized than others.