The work-reflection-learning cycle - Department of Computer and ...

The work-reflection-learning cycle in SE student projects: Use of collaboration tools
6.4 A model of work and reflection
Contribution 4 of the thesis is the reflection model shown in Figure 13, conceptualized
in terms of distributed cognition and stressing the cognitive as well as the social aspects
of work and learning in project teams.
The model is presented in P7 as a contribution to the TEL research field. The model‟s
perspective on the work-reflection-learning cycle is novel in making explicit the
potential role of collaboration tools in supporting day-to-day work and the retrospective
reflection on that work and thereby strengthening the integration of these aspects of the
work practice. The model further incorporates individual and collaborative elements of
the reflective process, and makes explicit the use of representations of the project
process (ranging from the trajectories „in participants‟ heads‟ to explicit representations
developed through dedicated reflection activities) as means for, and outcomes of,
reflection. The model represents a practical view of the work-reflection-learning cycle
and its support in project based learning, incorporating elements from learning theory
and SE industry practices that have been combined and empirically tested in SE student
projects as part of the thesis research. While the workshops in the thesis research were
based on a SE retrospective approach using timelines and satisfaction curves as explicit
representations of the project process, the reflection model does not presume any
particular form of explicit representation of the project.
The model can be used to aid design for retrospective reflection in PBL settings. The
designers could be educational practitioners seeking to develop their own practice,
project managers, people responsible for learning activities on a project or organization
level, and designers of collaboration tools.
In the analysis of a PBL setting, the elements of the model and their interrelationships
can be used to identify a set of considerations about the work-reflection-learning cycle
and trigger relevant questions. Some such questions are: When should individuals‟
reflection on their work practice be explicitly encouraged or designed for, and what is
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