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

Evaluation
However, only some of the reflection seen in the teams (e.g. in P6) addresses how the
course is organized; the rest is (as intended) about work.
In the thesis, the interpretive research informing the research activities on reflection can
be seen as part of a design research effort starting with a more general exploratory
agenda and refining focus to reflection as an area for improvement. Guidelines for the
organization of SE student project are proposed (P1-P4). The thesis research involving
interventions by trying out new solutions (i.e. the wiki walkthrough tool in P4 and the
reflection workshops with and without the aid of historical data in collaboration tools in
P6-P8) result in standalone contributions (Contributions 2 and 3) but should
simultaneously be considered as first steps along a line of research aiming to improve
the solutions. If similar solutions are tried out in new projects within the SE project
course of study, there will be an iteration that can result in improvements from one year
to the next, with the researcher-as-course-staff as a change agent. To achieve
improvement of the project course within a semester, the reflection workshops will have
to take place during the semester as well as at the end of the semester. Research efforts
along these lines are considered further work in the thesis (see Section 8).
Students‟ reflection on their project work can be a resource for course staff aiming to
improve the course, as proposed in P6. To allow the students to maintain their focus on
the work practice, course staff will have to be brokers translating students‟ practicefocused
experience into issues of how to organize the course.
Design research should also contribute to the development of theory (Cobb et al. 2003,
p.9). In the thesis, development of theory on the basis of empirical studies of reflection
resulted in the reflection model presented in P7.
In sum, presenting the research of the thesis as design research is done with some
precautions and refers to the long-term research agenda as well as to the present results.
A full-fledged design research effort requires a systematic, iterative development of the
proposed solutions within a project course. I believe that the tools and theory developed
in this thesis on the basis of empirical work with projects in the selected SE project
course will be a useful basis for systematic improvement of the course and the specific
approaches to retrospective reflection.
7.4 On the choice of theory
So, my first piece of advice for new researchers is for them to choose
theories which they feel are insightful to them.
(Walsham 2006)
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