1. Project-Based Learning para acelerar a (Re)Qualificação de licenciados para a área de Informática

2. The challenge
Qualify 100 graduates with a STEM background to have a career in software development
To promote their fast integration in IT companies
Past experience
Acertar o Rumo programme
Partnership between Critical Software and U. Coimbra
4 editions
22 students/edition
Over 90% success rate

3. The team
Iniciativa Competências Digitais (INCoDe.2030) – Government of Portugal
Porto Tech Hub
An interest group of several large national and multinational IT companies
ISEP – Porto Polytechnic School of Engineering
Member of the CDIO Initiative since 2008
CDIO was created by MIT, Chalmers, KTH, Linköping around 2002
Today includes over 130 leading engineering schools all over the world (cdio.org)
Over 10 EUR-ACE accredited programmes
The Informatics Engineering Master is pending ABET accreditation (July 2017)

4. Goals defined by Porto Tech Hub
To make a graduate with a STEM background to be able to:
Understand and apply an iterative and incremental/agile software development process
Analyse the requirements of a problem presented by a client and, as a team, specify a solution
Design the solution using appropriate architectural and design patterns
Implement the solution in Java/JavaScript using Test Driven Development (TDD) and Continuous Integration (CI)
Know and apply the essential technologies and best practices to be productive in a OO (Java) or web development team using CI

5. The SWitCH approach Switch combines
A one-year intensive hands-on programme (60 ECTS)
A one-year paid internship in a IT company
It is aimed at higher education graduates without a job or that want to switch careers (underemployed)
Careful selection of candidate by a specialized HR company
It is auto-financed
Students pay the real cost of the programme
The companies providing the internships pay a salary to the interns
The salary is the national reference value of an internship for a BSc – 750€/month

6. The SWitCH programme In order to fulfil this objective
1 school year (32 weeks of classes)
A MVP* approach, focusing on the minimum content necessary for the students to be successful in the typical professional environment
A transdisciplinary pedagogical approach based on project based learning
A semi-professional work environment based on teamwork, peer-learning and Scrum
IT companies active involvement as Product Owners
Focused and intensive: 35 hours/week
MVP – Minimum Viable Product

7. Pedagogical approach
We call it CDIO-IL and it is a transdisciplinary approach combining
Disciplinary teaching (33%)
Lectures and “regular” lab classes
Project Based Learning (67%)
Project development in a team of 8 to 11 elements
Scrum software development process (2-weeks sprints)
Project is supplied by a real software company (product owner)
Global backlog of user stories and sprints’ backlogs adapted to the learning process’ needs

8. Pedagogical approach (II)
How can it be so fast and effective?
By the careful application of selected active learning pedagogical patterns and project based learning
Learn by example
Providing solutions upfront help the student scaffolding knowledge
Learn by doing/Experiential Learning (Kolb)
All work is to be produced in the context of the project, including in regular classes
The immediate application of new knowledge in a real complex context helps the students cement the knowledge and learn more effectively (Reflective Observation – Kolb)

9. Pedagogical approach (III)
How can it be so fast and effective?
Teamwork and Peer-learning
Provides a first support network and helps the student consolidate learning
Feedback
The teacher’s main role is to provide quality feedback, promoting rework and improvement
Focus on quality of work done
Grades reflect quality (below standards, met the standards, noteworthy)
Deliveries that don’t meet the requirements and minimum quality standards are not accepted and may have to be redone in the following sprint

10. Transdisciplinary approach
3 simultaneous courses each semester
1 core software engineering and programming course
1 technical course covering key supporting technologies and competencies
1 project course to develop a product for a client
All work is done in the context of the project
There are several competence and knowledge areas
Each user story is awarded effort points in the C&K areas
By the end of the semester, a student must fulfil a predefined minimum of effort points in each area
There is only a global grade (weighted average of the work in the areas)

11. Programme structure 1st semester 2nd semester
Iterative agile software development
Computing systems and networks
Databases
Project I
2nd semester
Component-based programming & SOA
DevOps
Project II

12. Angelo Martins amm@isep.ipp.pt angelo.martins@inesctec.pt
Thank you!
Angelo Martins