SUPER: towards a WWW-enabled PBL support environment for software engineering education

This project explores the role of problem-based learning (PBL) in the undergraduate education of software engineering through the design of a WWW-enabled support environment. This system is intended to support the instructional strategy, which challenges students to work cooperatively in groups to seek solutions to real-world software development problems. The experiment is currently named SUPER to imply an environment with Suitable and Practical Educational Resources. It is aimed to enable students' collaborative learning by providing on-the-job learning and performance support in the form of WWW-based instructions (WBI). These instructions include task-specific information, expert advice, training resources, and customized tools. They are intended to facilitate the project learning experiences. The project examines the instructional and presentation design of SUPER. It does this by investigating the PBL approach and the various WBI features of performance support. It also investigates the system implementation concerns. The project emphasizes the importance of appropriate instructional rationales, plus careful consideration of the technological potential of the WWW, in designing our WWW-based learning environment. In particular, each undergraduate course is examined for opportunities to provide more flexibility and more learner-centered education via of real-world problem-based scenarios. Our teaching staff is encouraged to accept the innovations involved in the Web-based instructional practice.