We propose a full-day of presentations and collaborative sessions to study:
Many people have been exposed to introductions and course material on OO concepts, but have difficulty in applying these concepts in their own design. They can talk the talk, but they can't walk the walk.
This workshop will explore "active learning" techniques for OO design, where innovative teaching strategies are used to allow students to be actively engaged in design work right from an early point. Two such well-known techniques are CRC cards and role play. Despite being more than a decade old, these are regarded two of the best techniques for learning OO design. Even these techniques permit variation and improvement, and there is scope for more innovation and other active techniques as well.
The workshop invites submissions on new techniques, new applications or extensions of well-known techniques, and case studies. Our focus is on design mentoring, and innovative *active* strategies.
This workshop stems from our earlier work exploring and promoting the early emphasis on design as an important step forward in OO education. A 1996 workshop resulted in general agreement about the advantages of the approach, but also identified some key barriers to progress. We have been steadily exploring ways to overcome these barriers. In 1998 and 1999, we addressed difficulties concerning *evaluating* design, and developed a model for design evaluation. In 2000 we will take the initiative, and explore innovation in active learning.
In 2000, prospective workshop participants will be invited to submit a position paper with a contribution on this topic. The workshop will consist of presentations on these topics, and active experimentation using the techniques right away. We will prepare a report summarizing the workshop and results, and make workshop papers and related resources available via our web repository. We also hope to be able again to present an immediate report to the OOPSLA Educators Symposium.
We will stay true to the key principles of our earlier workshops by continuing to stress design over implementation, explicitly avoiding language wars, and above all working to help educators and mentors perform their role more successfully. We will again specifically invite people from industry to contribute their perspective.
Our agenda will balance participant communication and participant involvement. We will begin with inviting brief presentations of position papers, end with reflection and structuring what we have learned. In the middle, we will have active engagement, as we try out sample active learning techniques.
AM:
Lunch
PM:
Continued interest and promotion of the classics of active learning of OO design, CRC cards and Role-Play:
Innovative new active learning strategies, such as the successful
Oopsla tutorials using the game "GOF Pursuit", by J. Noble and
C. Weir. See the:
GOF
Pursuit Web Site
Involvement of active learning strategies in OO text books:
Work on pedagogical patterns and pattern languages, involving
a number patterns that feature active learning. See the:
Pedagogical
Pattern Web Site
New work in the educational OO Patterns at ChiliPLoP 1998-2000
Conferences. See:
Wallingford's
Patterns Page
Our Previous Workshops [see reports in OOPSLA addenda]:
Robert Biddle (robert@mcs.vuw.ac.nz)
Web Page on: Early Object Oriented Design Education
(http://www.mcs.vuw.ac.nz/research/design1/)