A Case Study on Supporting Teachers' Collective Reflection in Higher Education: Reflection on Modeling Sessions in Software Engineering Education

Abstract

Reflective practice is needed for a balanced integration of new learning and teaching approaches in higher education. However, it often remains unacknowledged or is even seen as too expensive. The paper presents a case study, which demonstrates a successful application of two methods for collective reflective activity. Indirect collective allo-confrontation and exploratory prototyping supported a group of teachers in software engineering in reflecting on students' modeling sessions with a multi-touch editor and on teaching object-oriented modeling in general. Both methods supported each other in a constructive manner and allowed teachers to have a reflective and experimental stance towards their work.