Final Thesis: Improving the Agile Methods and Open Source Lab Course
Abstract: Although Scrum is relatively new to the academic world, there is a rising awareness to apply agile methods, not only in the professional software industry but also as part of the software engineering curriculum. The agile practices of Scrum were, in the context of this thesis, adopted at the programming course Agile methods and Open Source (AMOS), at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg. The AMOS course that teaches students modern software engineering was in 2011 designed to develop a first product prototype of Free Seas Ahoy!, the social network for sailors. Computer Science and Information System students were applying the agile practices of Scrum during the semester-long course by taking on the roles of Team Members and Product Owners. This thesis analyzes the AMOS project of 2011 in detail and compares it with the prior and first AMOS course of 2010 by a post-facto analysis. In addition, this research also reviews similar development courses that make use of agile methods and draws a comparison between the AMOS project and the findings of related case studies. Several lessons learned, which result from the analysis, include suggestions how to improve future instances of the AMOS project and comparable academic courses. These proven recommendations embrace changes on the adaptation of agile practices in university courses and the academic course design.
PDFs: Master Thesis
Reference: Falko Saft. Improving the Agile Methods and Open Source Lab Course. Master Thesis, Friedrich Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nürnberg: 2012.