Extreme programming promotes extreme learning?

ABSTRACT

Extreme programming (XP) is an agile methodology claimed to promote the rapid development of software systems, enabling the accommodation of changing customer requirements during the project lifecycle without excessive cost penalties. The mechanisms used to achieve this require the software development team to maintain accurate tacit knowledge through extensive face-to-face communication and peer learning. This characteristic of XP, the authors argue, makes it a suitable tool in the teaching of new technologies to software engineering students. This is borne out by feedback from a group of fourth-year Master of Engineering (MEng) software engineering undergraduate students who undertook an XP-based project as part of their course. Furthermore, the authors argue that the methodology is best taught in its full form through group project work. This is most effective when undertaken in the latter years of a computer science or software engineering course, after the students have been exposed to more traditional, plan-based methodologies.

REFERENCES

• 1: Kent Beck, Extreme programming explained: embrace change, Addison-Wesley Longman Publishing Co., Inc., Boston, MA, 1999
• 2: Beck, K. et al, Manifesto for agile software development, http://www.agilemanifesto.org/, 2001
• 3: Ken Auer , Roy Miller, Extreme programming applied: playing to win, Addison-Wesley Longman Publishing Co., Inc., Boston, MA, 2001
• 4: John Hunt , Beate Hermelin, Guide to J2EE: Enterprise Java, Springer-Verlag New York, Inc., Secaucus, NJ, 2003
• 5: Matthew Stephens , Doug Rosenberg, Extreme Programming Refactored: The Case Against XP, APress L. P., 2003
• 6: Boehm , Richard Turner, Balancing Agility and Discipline: A Guide for the Perplexed, Addison-Wesley Longman Publishing Co., Inc., Boston, MA, 2003
• 7: Laurie Williams , Robert Kessler, Pair Programming Illuminated, Addison-Wesley Longman Publishing Co., Inc., Boston, MA, 2002
• 8: Fowler, M. Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code, Addison Wesley, Reading, MA, 2000.
• 9: Johnson, D.H. and Caristi, J. Using Extreme programming in the software design course, Computer Science Education, 12, 3 (2002), pp. 223--234.
• 10: Alistair Cockburn, Agile software development, Addison-Wesley Longman Publishing Co., Inc., Boston, MA, 2002
• 11: Barry Boehm, Get Ready for Agile Methods, with Care, Computer, v.35 n.1, p.64-69, January 2002 [doi>10.1109/2.976920]

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
      D.2.9 Management
          Subjects: Life cycle

Additional Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
      D.2.9 Management
          Subjects: Software process models (e.g., CMM, ISO, PSP)

General Terms:
Design, Documentation, Management, Measurement

Keywords:
J2EE project, extreme programming, masters'-level students