Agile Software Engineering Capstone Courses: Exploring the Impact of Gender
摘要
The wide adoption of agile methodologies in software development necessitates an educational approach that prepares students for industry practices. This study aims to explore an agile capstone course, focusing on student learning experiences in teamwork while examining the gender dynamics affecting team roles and engagement. We conducted a comprehensive study of the capstone course “Software Engineering with Project Work” at the University of Oslo, analyzing 27 presentations and interviewing 10 students and two teaching assistants. The course is designed to immerse informatics students of different specializations in agile methodologies and collaborative project work. Our findings suggest that the students learn essential collaboration and technical skills. However, during their final presentations, significant gender differences emerged in the topics discussed: women predominantly spoke about design and process, whereas men focused more on technical aspects such as architecture, technical solutions, and algorithms. Our results underscore the need for educational strategies that promote inclusivity and equal participation in agile software development courses.