Injecting rapid feedback and collaborative reasoning in teaching specifications

  • Authors:

  • Dana P. Leonard;Jason O. Hallstrom;Murali Sitaraman

  • Affiliations:

  • Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA;Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA;Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the 40th ACM technical symposium on Computer science education
  • Year:
  • 2009

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Abstract

We describe an approach to teaching formal interface specifications using aspects of the Collaborative Reasoning Paradigm. The module requires students to construct test cases independently and cooperatively based on their understanding of a given set of method specifications. Students are supported by software-based reasoning assistants that guide them through their exercises and provide realtime feedback as they work --- both for the students and the instructor. We describe the design of the course module, the supporting reasoning assistant, and representative reasoning exercises. We conclude with a discussion of evaluation results from a recent pilot study conducted at Clemson University.