Complete thesis - Murdoch University

derived from these and other sources to reflect a consensus, and mirror the matureand stable concepts in Requirements Engineering(Sawyer and Kotonya, 2000, p 21)This approach is mirrored in attempts at developing model curricula, with the occasionaladdition of guidelines addressing generic attributes. The Computer Science volume of ComputingCurriculum 2005 (CC-CS) follows the same pattern and draws on the same sources(with the addition of a guidelines document (Bagert et al, 1999)), as does the the IS curriculum(CC-IS) (Engel and Roberts, 2001), and the SE volume (CC-SE), which explicitlyacknowledges its dependence on SWEBOK (LeBlanc and Sobel, 2004).These help determine the learning situation for a discipline, which is influenced by pedagogyconsiderations (eg learning theories and models) and indirectly through practitioner feedback.Perspectives on learningHannafin (1997a) and Reeves (1994) suggests that several dimensions are relevant in thedescription of learning systems:• epistemological foundations – are concerned with theories about the nature ofknowledge, and describes the world view to be disseminated. At one extreme (objectivism),content aims to be comprehensive and accurate, and based on advice fromexperts in the field. At the other (constructivism), content reflects the spectrum ofviews in the domain, providing multiple perspectives/options for constructing knowledge• psychological foundations – represent beliefs about how individuals think and learn.In this continuum, shaping desirable behaviours via stimuli, feedback, reinforcement etcat one pole contrasts with a cognitivist emphasis on mental models and the connectionsbetween them. The type of knowledge to be constructed should drive the learningstrategy employed, with support provided for deductive and inductive learning• philosophical foundations – emphasise how to-be-learned domains are representedand affordances provided to support learning. An instructivist foundation stresses theimportance of goals and objectives drawn from the domain. Constructivist foundations,on the other hand, stress the primacy of learner intentions, experience and metacognitivestrategies through a rich environment that can be tailored to individual needs.These dimensions describe the nature of learning, the methods and strategies employed, andthe ways in which the to-be-learned domain should be organised and made available to thelearner.12