Calico: Improving Software Design Education with Tool Support, Design Exercises, and Course Modules for Sketch-Based, Continuous Design Practice and Reflection

计算机科学(31)这个项目专注于软件设计教育，并为基于草图的、持续的设计实践和反思提供工具支持、设计练习和课程模块。从教育的角度来看，一个学生或一组学生获得某一特定软件设计的过程与设计本身一样重要。考虑了哪些替代方案？为什么某些替代方案比其他方案更受青睐？对各种替代方案的探索有多深入？设计过程和所做选择的主要考虑因素是什么？假设和应用了哪些约束条件？这些问题和其他类似问题的答案为教师和学生提供了宝贵的机会，让他们反思和学习所进行的设计过程。这个扩展项目汇集并建立了三个相关的工作：(1)观察实际的软件设计人员，(2)实现支持创造性的、基于草图的软件设计活动的工具，以及(3)迁移到基于工作室的软件设计教育方法。这项工作的初步结果突出了一种新的软件设计教育方法的强大潜力，在这种方法中，通过素描的实践和反思在面向工作室的教育环境中占据中心地位，在这种方法中，素描练习，无论是在课堂上还是课外作为作业的一部分，都通过强大的教学技术得到支持和持续反映。该项目包括六个部分：(1)进一步开发现有的原型软件设计素描工具Calico，使其成为一个更明确地面向教育的设计环境；(2)创建一个面向素描的设计习题库；(3)提供课程模块；(4)进行全面的、多所大学进行评估，以收集关于该方法的教育优点、成功因素、优点和缺点的确凿证据，(5)通过研讨会/会议教程、基于网络的门户网站和通过iTunes大学发布的样本讲座促进教师发展，以及(6)制定一项有效的广泛传播战略。

Computer Science (31) This project focuses on software design education, and provides tool support, design exercises, and course modules for sketch-based, continuous design practice and reflection. From an educational perspective, the process by which a student or group of students arrives at some particular software design is as important as the design itself. What alternatives were considered? Why were certain alternatives favored over others? How deeply were the various alternatives explored? What primary concerns drove the design process and the choices that were made? What constraints were assumed and applied? In the answers to these and other similar questions lie valuable opportunities for instructors and students to reflect upon and learn from the design process undertaken. This expansion project brings together and builds upon three related strands of work: (1) observing actual software designers in action, (2) implementing a tool for supporting creative, sketch-based software design activities, and (3) migrating to a studio-based approach to software design education. Preliminary results from this work highlight a strong potential for a new approach to software design education, one in which practice and reflection through sketching take center stage in a studio-oriented educational setting, and one in which the sketching exercises, whether in class or out of class as part of an assignment, are supported and continuously reflected upon through powerful instructional technology.The project has six components: (1) further developing Calico, an existing prototype software design sketching tool, into a design environment more explicitly geared towards education, (2) creating an extensive library of sketch-oriented design exercises, (3) providing course modules, (4) performing comprehensive, multi-university evaluations to gather conclusive evidence regarding the educational merits of the approach, its success factors, its strengths and weaknesses, (5) promoting faculty development through workshops/tutorials at conferences, a web-based portal, and sample lectures published via iTunes university, and (6) creating an effective strategy for widespread dissemination.