The R-CUBE: Reviewing, Reinforcing and Rewarding after SuccessfulModule Completion

Revisiting material previously presented and successfully assessed can lead to much frustration among teaching staff and students. Despite this, it is often a requirement due to the time lag between the point at which a student begins a module and the time when they successfully passed a prerequisite module. Also, students who successfully pass a module fit into a number of categories, from those who were successful in all components of the assessment to those who displayed the minimum level of competence required for satisfaction of the learning outcomes. We introduce a novel instructional model which we predict will be instrumental in assisting our undergraduate Software Engineers who have displayed medium levels of competence in passing practical modules. The R-CUBE recognizes the importance of three dimensions to revisiting material - review, reinforce and reward. Our initial implementation of instruction using the model employs novel teaching and learning methods closely tied to our experience with service learning projects. We expect to fully evaluate the effectiveness of the model when the first students pass through a project that employs it at the end of this academic year.