Generating a Template for an Educational Software Development Methodology for Novice Computing Undergraduates - Volume 23

Sep 12, 2026

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Research aims to define and address gaps in undergraduate software development education for novice learners by grounding instruction in established literature and producing a foundational template for an educational methodology. An integrative review analyzes key components including Teaching Software Development Education, Problem Solving, Threshold Concepts, and Computational Thinking, synthesizing findings into a spiral learning framework and four development stages. The result identifies seven skills and four concepts and guides educators to teach structured problem solving and sound software development habits consistently.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPaper Templates

FormatPDF

Pages41

Reading Time14 min

AccessFree to download

Aim/Purpose

Background

Methodology

Findings

Recommendations for Practitioners

Recommendations for Researchers

Impact on Society

Future Research

Volume 23, 2024 GENERATING A TEMPLATE FOR AN EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGY FOR NOVICE COMPUTING UNDERGRADUATES: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW | Catherine Higgins* Ciaran O’Leary
Claire McAvinia
Barry J. Ryan | Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland | [catherine.higgins@tudublin.ie](catherine.higgins@tudublin.ie)[ ](catherine.higgins@tudublin.ie)[ciaran.oleary@tudublin.ie](ciaran.oleary@tudublin.ie)[ ](ciaran.oleary@tudublin.ie)[claire.mcavinia@tcd.ie](claire.mcavinia@tcd.ie)[ ](claire.mcavinia@tcd.ie)[barry.ryan@tudublin.ie](barry.ryan@tudublin.ie) | | --- | --- | --- | | * Corresponding author
ABSTRACT | | | Aim/Purpose The teaching of appropriate problem-solving techniques to novice learners in undergraduate software development education is often poorly defined when compared to the delivery of programming techniques. Given the global need for qualified designers of information technology, the purpose of this research is to produce a foundational template for an educational software development methodology grounded in the established literature. This template can be used by third-level educators and researchers to develop robust educational methodologies to cultivate structured problem solving and software development habits in their students while systematically teaching the intricacies of software creation. Background While software development methodologies are a standard approach to struc tured and traceable problem solving in commercial software development, educational methodologies for inexperienced learners remain a neglected area of research due to their assumption of prior programming knowledge. This research Accepting Editor Sta│matis Papadakis │ Received: June 20, 2024 │ Revised: August 13, August 23, Accepted: September 9, 2024. for an educational software development methodology for novice computing undergraduates: An integrative review. Journal ofIn [https://doi org/10 28945/5374](https://doi org/10 28945/5374) Methodology Contribution Findings Recommendations for Practitioners Recommendations for Researchers Impact on Society Future Research Keywords aims to address this deficit by conducting an integrative review to produce a template for such a methodology. An integrative review was conducted on the key components of Teaching Software Development Education, Problem Solving, Threshold Concepts, and Computational Thinking. Systematic reviews were conducted on Computational Thinking and Software Development Education by employing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) process. Narrative reviews were conducted on Problem Solving and Threshold Concepts. This research provides a comprehensive analysis of problem solving, software development education, computational thinking, and threshold concepts in computing in the context of undergraduate software development education. It also synthesizes review findings from these four areas and combines them to form a research-based foundational template methodology for use by educatorsand researchers interested in software development undergraduate education. This review identifies seven skills and four concepts required by novice learners. The skills include the ability to perform abstraction, data representation, decomposition, evaluation, mental modeling, pattern recognition, and writing algorithms. The concepts include state and sequentialflow, non-sequentialflow control, modularity, and object interaction. The teaching of these skills and concepts is combined into a spiral learning framework and is joined by four development stages to guide software problem solving: understanding the problem, breaking into tasks, designing, coding, testing, and integrating, and final evaluation and reflection. This produces th

FAQs

What is the purpose of the research in the document?

The study aims to produce a foundational template for an educational software development methodology for novice computing undergraduates based on established literature.

How was the integrative review conducted?

The review analyzed key areas using systematic reviews for Computational Thinking and Software Development Education with PRISMA, and narrative reviews for Problem Solving and Threshold Concepts.

What skills and concepts does the template identify for novice learners?

The research identifies seven skills (e.g., abstraction, decomposition, evaluation, pattern recognition, and writing algorithms) and four concepts (e.g., state and sequential flow, modularity, and object interaction).

What learning structure and stages guide software problem solving in the proposed template?

Teaching is organized into a spiral learning framework supported by four development stages: understanding the problem, breaking into tasks, designing, coding/testing/integrating, and final evaluation and reflection.

Sep 12, 2026

Upload by Connor