Process teaching and learning in engineering education

Abstract

This paper explores the process-oriented constructivist theory of teaching and learning which has its roots in cognitive psychology, philosophy, learning theory, and education theory. A process model for teaching and learning software engineering is proposed and an initial set of maturity levels are defined. This process-based model for teaching and learning attempts to bridge the gap between constructivist theory and engineering education by graphically depicting the learning process from three evolving perspectives: the black box, the memory state, and clear box descriptions. The Maturity Process Teaching Model proposed here incorporates the ideas of constructivism, operational definitions, process-improvement, and Capability Maturity Model-based maturity levels and applies them to process teaching.