Abstract:

Research-based teaching (RBT) is an innovative learning methodology to fostering the teaching by discovering, creating, and exchanging knowledge. Today there is little evidence of improved student performance when instructed with this methodology. This paper shows an experience that introduces students to research in the DevOps culture in the context of the course Software Evolution and Maintenance in the 6th semester of the Software Engineering Degree at the ETSI of Computer Systems at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain).

This paper describes an experience to contrast the performance of the students when we apply traditional teaching-learning methodology (contrast group) and when we apply research-based teaching methodology (experimental group). Both groups are taught in the DevOps culture. In the case of the experimental group, RBT consists of the qualitative analysis (through coding techniques) of a set of interviews to 30 software-intensive multinationals in different domains, which have or are moving to DevOps culture. These interviews are part of a qualitative research on DevOps (https://blogs.upm.es/devopsinpractice/) that aims to identify the problems that have led companies to adopt DevOps as well as the expectations they have about the results of this adoption.

The experience shows that the students who were involved in the research-based teaching methodology obtained a better academic performance than the students belonging to the contrast group. In addition, the first ones have improved the level of performance in generic competences such as: analysis and synthesis, teamwork, and organization and planning. Finally, the students of the experimental group have expressed a high level of satisfaction with the teaching/learning methodology. This experience serves as a pilot project to extend this practice to other subjects and courses.

Keywords:

Research-based teaching, assessment, generic skills, pilot study.