Improving the teaching of object-oriented design knowledge

Abstract

In the general sphere of the teaching of software engineering concepts, it can be noted that there are very few pieces of work dealing with how to get across, through teaching, the practical experience that has been built up on the subject of object-oriented design. The few works that do exist focus on design patterns. Pattern catalogues, however, do not completely resolve the problem of imparting the experience about object-oriented design, an area where it is clear that the greatest benefit derived from the patterns is achieved when their designers are already-experienced. What is more, other elements associated with object-oriented knowledge, such as principles, heuristics, best practices, bad smells, etc., are components related to practical knowledge of design. These are barely taken into consideration, however. In an effort to solve these problems, we put forward an ontology which brings together and integrates object-oriented design which improves teaching, amongst other things. It makes the great quantity of knowledge that has been built up clearer and brings it together into a united whole. It is thus possible to create catalogues of integrated knowledge.