A real-world simulation technique for forming software development teams in a capstone course

  • Authors:

  • Noel F. LeJeune

  • Affiliations:

  • Metropolitan State College of Denver

  • Venue:
  • Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges
  • Year:
  • 2008

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Abstract

There are many techniques used to form teams of students for software development projects in a semester-long software development capstone course. Selecting or creating an appropriate one should be motivated by first defining the objectives to be achieved. Two overarching objectives identified were to make the team formation process itself educational and to help students prepare for the real-world experience of applying for a software development project. Additional objectives are to create teams with a representative set of software development skills needed to accomplish the work, a representative set of personality types that are believed important to a harmonious and productive team, and a sufficient set of "soft" skills (communications, self-initiative, self-directed learner, etc.) for success. Finally, the selection process should be objective while avoiding biases based on prior relationships of the students. The context of the course is given, the objectives are discussed, and the technique developed is described. The results of using the technique are described through instructor experiences and student surveys. Finally, the conclusion section provides suggestions for future use of the technique.