IUSE/PFE: RED Innovation: Using Scrum to Develop an Agile Department

下一代工程师将需要基本的技术和专业技能来解决社会面临的复杂问题。为了让学生更好地为工程专业做好准备，需要改变工程专业的部门运作方式、课程设置和教学实践。实施这类改革的努力往往会因为部门文化或教职员工对所涉及的时间和工作量的态度而变得缓慢。在这个项目中，安布里-里德尔航空大学的电气、计算机、软件和系统工程(ECSSE)系将实施一种创新的方法，成为一个快速响应学生和行业需求的系。这种方法将应用通常在行业中使用的敏捷开发方法，以更快地交付最佳产品。敏捷方法包括在短周期中对团队进行工作，允许分担工作责任、频繁反馈和在周期之间进行调整。ECSSE部门将使用Scrum敏捷方法来组织部门如何执行其正常运作。该部门还将把Scrum敏捷产品开发嵌入到整个课程中。新的方法将允许教员实现更快的变化和实施系的优先项目。优先项目的例子包括在课程中纳入更多以证据为基础的实践，如即时教学、案例教学、主动学习和同伴指导；促进包容性学习环境；更新课程材料；修改系程序；以及招聘不同的学生和教师。因此，该系的教职员工和学生都将通过这种灵活的专业技能获得专业知识。该项目将调查系运营的变化如何改善教职员工和学生的体验。这些发现将有助于向其他工程部门通报改善多样化学生群体的教育，使其成为劳动力中熟练工程师的做法。该项目的目标将是从根本上将ECSSE系转变为一个敏捷系：1)将学生培养成具有行业所需的敏捷技能的工程师；2)发展一种敏捷的教员文化，为学生建立使用敏捷实践的典范。教职员工将在Scrum团队中集体工作，以创新系的实践、政策和文化。在课程的前两年，学生将在个人和团队项目中使用Scrum，以逐步积累他们的专业知识，以便在高年级完成顶峰课程。研究性研究将采用以社会认知理论为指导的解释性案例研究设计。定量和定性分析将使用对教职员工和学生的访谈数据、利益相关者的反馈以及Scrum团队的人工制品进行。研究结果可能会导致工程教育的变革，为Scrum作为一种灵活的组织实践及其对教师集体效能的影响提供了一个模型。该项目由本科生教育部门和工程教育与中心部门共同资助，反映了该项目与各部门及其计划各自目标的一致性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The next generation of engineers will need essential technical and professional skills to solve the complex problems facing society. Changes to how departments operate, the curriculum, and teaching practices in engineering programs are required to better prepare students for the profession. Efforts to implement these kinds of changes are often slowed down by department cultures or faculty attitudes about the amount of time and work that would be involved. In this project the Electrical, Computer, Software, and Systems Engineering (ECSSE) Department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will implement an innovative approach to become a department that responds quickly to student and industry needs. This approach will apply agile development methods typically used in industry to deliver the best products faster. Agile methods involve working on teams in short cycles which allow shared work responsibility, frequent feedback, and adjustments between cycles. The ECSSE Department will use the Scrum agile method to organize how the department carries out its normal operations. The department will also embed Scrum agile product development into courses across the curriculum. The new approach will allow faculty to achieve quicker changes and implementation of prioritized items for the department. Examples of prioritized items will include incorporating more evidence-based practices in courses such as just-in-time teaching, case-based teaching, active learning, and peer instruction; fostering inclusive learning environments; updating course materials; revising department procedures; and recruiting diverse students and faculty. Consequently, both faculty and students in the department will gain expertise with this agile professional skill. The project will investigate how the changes to department operations enhance faculty and student experiences. The findings would help inform other engineering departments about practices to improve the education of a diverse student population to be well-skilled engineers for the workforce. The objectives of this project will be to radically transform the ECSSE department into an agile department that: 1) develops students into engineers with agile skills desired by industry, and 2) develops an agile faculty culture which models the use of agile practices for students. Faculty will work collectively in Scrum teams to innovate the practices, policies, and culture of the department. Students will use Scrum in individual and team projects throughout the middle two years of the curriculum to progressively build their expertise for the culminating capstone courses in the senior year. The research study will use an explanatory case study design guided by social cognitive theory. Quantitative and qualitative analyses will be performed using data from interviews with faculty and students, feedback from stakeholders, and artifacts from Scrum teams. Research results could lead to transformations in engineering education by offering a model on the novel use of Scrum as an agile organizational practice and its influences on the collective efficacy of faculty. This project is jointly funded by the Division of Undergraduate Education and the Division of Engineering Education and Centers reflecting the alignment of this project with the respective goals of the divisions and their programs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.