SEKE 2023 Tutorial
Think Again: Brainstorming and Mind Mapping for Software Engineering Education
Description:
The students of software engineering in the 21st century, who are striving towards increasing their level of maturity in their educational program and aiming to become professional software engineers, not only need to know more or do more, but be more. To do that, they need to think in multiple different ways, from different viewpoints, at different times, in different contexts. The techniques of brainstorming and mind mapping, along with the technique of Six Thinking Hats, all of which have their origins in cognitive psychology, can help the students think collaboratively, and think “positively” as well as “negatively”, in a timely manner, before making crucial decisions, while minimizing any cognitive biases and eliminating any misconceptions. This short course will introduce the attendees with a blend of theoretical as well as practical aspects of brainstorming and mind mapping, by using illustrative examples, demonstrating physical and digital tools, and giving hands-on exercises. It will also briefly place mind mapping in context with other, similar 2D visualization techniques. The contents could be introduced selectively to all levels of students in a course on software engineering or one of its cognate disciplines.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Pankaj Kamthan has been teaching at Concordia University, Montreal, Canada, for more than 25 years, during which he has taught more than 25 courses on a variety of topics in computer science, human-computer interaction, and software engineering. He has advocated the use of mind mapping in courses on software project management, software requirements, software architecture, software design, and software maintenance. He has by invitation given a presentation and a workshop on the uses of mind mapping in software testing at ATD USA 2023. He is a co-recipient of Best Presenter Award at CSSE 2021, and a twice recipient of the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science Teaching Excellence Award.