Negotiated learning contracts in team projects

  • Authors:

  • Malcolm Birtle

  • Affiliations:

  • School of Computing and Mathematics, Universlty of Teesside, Middlesbrough TS1 3BA, UK

  • Venue:
  • Annals of Software Engineering - Special issue on software engineering education
  • Year:
  • 1999

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Abstract

The successful evolution of a negotiated learning practice in software engineering team projects is described. The background to negotiated learning practices is reviewed and it is noted that a concern for process issues might be related to software quality management concerns. Negotiated learning was used to develop learning autonomy and to encourage process improvement. The integration of learning contracts and existing software engineering quality management techniques has produced an approach which has enabled teams of students to effectively define and reflect on systems development and learning processes. Individual assessment was enhanced by including processes for the visibility and traceability of contributions in the negotiation process. The gradual evolution of the practice is described with some detail of the current context provided. Evaluations have indicated that teams can become more actively engaged in learning and develop reflective skills in a structured manner by exploiting mechanisms for negotiation.