Writing as a Tool for Learning Software Engineering

This paper presents an educational method used to improve teaching of tedious topics in software engineering courses that can be difficult for students to comprehend without any reference to own practical experience. The method utilizes the students existing software engineering knowledge to understand new theory, methods, and techniques. The goals of the method are to improve student participation in the lectures and to enable the students to think through the topics on their own before giving answers and explanations. The method allows the students to learn in three different settings: Individually, in groups, and in class. This paper describes experiences using the method, and proposes how it can be used in software engineering courses