The document discusses effective teaching strategies for large classes, specifically in the context of software architecture education at the University of A Coruña. It highlights two main strategies to enhance student engagement and prevent dropouts: increasing task variety and offering a gamified platform for exercises. Overall, these strategies resulted in improved course success rates and higher student satisfaction.

1. Effective Teaching Strategies for
Large Classes
A Case Study in
Software Architecture Education
Laura M. Castro, Mauricio Hidalgo, Hernán Astudillo

2. The road ahead this talk
Two strongholdsto prevent dropout andfailure
Academic context of our tale
Enrollment success jeopardizes the course journey
The moral of our cautionary tale to take home
01
03
02
04
Once upon a time...
The attack of the large numbers
The defense of the two towers
And they passed! Happily ever after?

3. Once upon a time...
01
Academic context of our tale

4. Software Architecture at
University of A Coruña (Spain)

5. Software Architecture at
University of A Coruña (Spain)

6. Software Architecture at
University of A Coruña (Spain)
First taught 2012/2013
6 ETCS credits
Compulsory for Software Engineers
Eligible for Computer Scientists

7. Concept of Software Architecture
Reference Architectures
Learning
objectives
Components design & integration
Traceability & integrationtesting

8. Teaching and Grading
Final test
Personal work
Supervised
tasks
Lectures
Lab sessions
Individual
assignments
Group
assignment

9. Teaching and Grading
Final test
Personal work
Supervised
tasks
Lectures
Lab sessions
Individual
assignments
Group
assignment

10. Teaching and Grading
Final test
Personal work
Supervised
tasks
Lectures
Lab sessions
Individual
assignments
Group
assignment

11. How it was going
AS course success rate

12. How it was going
AS course success rate
num. of passing students
num. of enrolled students

13. The attack of the large numbers
02
Enrollment success jeopardizes the course journey

14. Unexpectedly... a steep slope
AS course enrollment numbers

15. Unexpectedly... a steep slope
AS course enrollment numbers
same teaching
staff!

16. The defense of the two towers
Two strongholds to prevent dropout and failure
03

17. Educational contingency plan
Choose-your-own-tasks
4x number of available tasks
Increasedteaching offer, equal learning demand
Reappearance of similar tasks
Flexibility, adaptability to students preferences
and/orpersonal workload
Gamified platform (Exercism)
Individual exercises, increasing difficulty
Clear, well-structuredsyllabus
Automatedtests and early feedback
Personal, private mentoring,priority to students
keeping up with the suggested schedule
Early engagement Personal learning contract

18. How it turned out
AS course success rate

19. In detail: gamification is a win-win
Impact of early engagement strategy

20. In detail: a self-chosen menu tastes better
Impact of adapted learning contract
strategy

21. And they passed!
... happily ever after?
The moral of our cautionary tale to take home
04

22. Worked like a charm...
Students worked early rather than late
Tendency to avoidsome tasks(i.e. C4 modelling)
Very high ratio of weekly exercise completion
>50 exercises in 1st course month
Students perceive high ROI
Almost all group max grade
Num. of early dropouts diminished significantly
Early engagement Personal learning contract

23. Beware of...
Chronological order matters
Minimal requirements per task type
Very demanding for faculty
Early engagement Personal learning contract

24. Slidesgo
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Thanks!
Any questions?
Laura M. Castro
lcastro@udc.es