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opencert / workshop-2023

Working repository of the 9th International Workshop on Open Community approaches to Education, Research and Technology (OpenCERT 2023) *** towards "Open community approaches" CERTification processes *** 6 November 2023, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, Co-located with SEFM 202e3
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Submission 751 (Learning Experience paper) #1

Open AntonioCerone opened 9 months ago

AntonioCerone commented 9 months ago

How OSS Courses Prepare Developers for the Tech Industry

Abstract In the rapidly advancing world of technology, the significance of understanding the wider ecosystem of software development, especially the open source community, is paramount. This paper reflects on the experiences of participating in an Open Source Software (OSS) course at Nazarbayev University during the Spring semester of 2021. Focusing on engagement with the KISS Launcher, an open-source project for Android devices, the study sheds light on the insights gained regarding the software development lifecycle, community interactions, and problemsolving tactics within the OSS realm. This involvement acts as a microcosm of the broader software engineering industry, offering a glimpse into real-world challenges and equipping participants with not just technical skills, but an enriched understanding of collaborative dynamics and culture. Key learnings include proficiency enhancement in GitHub, improved communication acumen, technical prowess, especially in mobile development, and an appreciation for beta testing, among others. The paper underscores the pivotal role of OSS courses in bridging the gap between academia and the tech industry, preparing budding developers for the multifaceted world of software engineering. OpenCERT_2023_paper_751.pdf

RobertoBagnara commented 9 months ago

I will review this submission. Roberto Bagnara

mstabauer commented 9 months ago

I will review this submission. Martin Stabauer

FedericaCaruso commented 9 months ago

I will review this submission. Federica Caruso

pvitt72 commented 9 months ago

I will review this submission. Pierpaolo.

AntonioCerone commented 9 months ago

REVIEWERS for this paper:

mstabauer commented 9 months ago

I am sorry to say that I cannot really see the contribution of this paper. The experiences you describe regarding (a) an OSS course you took and (b) an OSS project you worked on are interesting and smooth to read, but I had a hard time understanding your scientific input.

To sum up, this paper seems to me like a nonscientific report rather than a valuable contribution to OpenCERT.

RobertoBagnara commented 9 months ago

The paper contains a subjective report about the participation of the author into an open-source project for a period of two and a half months. This participation was a requirement for a university course related to Open Source Software. As the final report for such a participation the paper is fine: the intended audience seems to be the course teachers and, possibly but to a minor extent, fellow students. As such, I am not sure the paper qualifies for presentation at OpenCERT, but I leave this decision to others. In the sequel I list some minor comments that aim at improving the paper irrespective of any other consideration.

As far as I can tell, the paper is well written from the point of view of English grammar and spelling. However, at least for my taste, the paper overuses adverbs and adjectives, in particular emphatic ones, to the point that the writing is weakened due to exaggeration.

Page 2, 2nd paragraph: "the myriad ways" --> "the many ways"?

Page 2, 3rd paragraph: "make commitments and submit records of their contributions": I guess you mean the commitments are done in advance to the teacher, not to the project, right? I also guess the present paper constitutes the record for your contribution, right?

Page 2, 4th paragraph: the first criterion is "imperative", the second criterion is "vital": too much.

Page 2, 4th paragaph: here and elsewhere references to the bibliography in square brackets miss a blank space before the opening square bracket.

Page 3, 1st paragraph: I would anticipate the sentence "The project is called the KISS Launcher[5]." to the beginning of the paragraph, on the previous page. I would also complete that sentence along the lines of "The project I selected is called the KISS Launcher [5].

Page 3, 2nd paragraph: assuming the paper is written in LaTeX the use of single and double quotes should be corrected as follows: `KISS', ``Keep it Simple and Stupid''.

Page 3, 3rd paragraph: "In the context of project leadership, a predominantly monarchical structure is evident." --> "The project leadership of the KISS project exhibits a predominantly monarchical structure." (I am not completely happy about the suggested rewording, but I would make it explicit that you are talking about the KISS project.)

Page 3, 3rd paragraph: "the linchpin" --> "the linchpin of the project"?

Page 4, 1st paragraph: "three years prior" to what?

Page 5, 5th paragraph: "a pivotal catalyst for professional development" --> 'pivotal catalyst' is too much.

Page 6, 1st paragraph: "pivotal" again; "quintessential" is too much.

Page 8, 2nd paragraph: "I have ardently contributed" --> 'ardently' is too much.

References: there is an inconsistency about names; the problem to be avoided is doubt about the fact that "Amangeldi, S" and "Sagi Amangeldi" are the same person. All in all, I recommend systematically using "Name Surname" without abbreviation.

pvitt72 commented 9 months ago

The paper is a report on the contribution given by the author to the KISS project and on the lessons learned from this experience. The paper is clear and easy to read. However, the only possible research contribution I see from the article regards the lessons learned. I would suggest the author to:

1- search the literature regarding both teachers' and students' perspectives on the involvement in open-source projects 2- based on what discovered in (1)

FedericaCaruso commented 9 months ago

I have carefully reviewed the manuscript and would like to express some concerns regarding its intended scientific contribution to the scientific community. In its current state, the manuscript reads more like a descriptive account of activities conducted within a course, accompanied by the author's personal opinions. I recommend that the author revise the overall presentation to better highlight the scientific significance of their work.

Therefore, I suggest the author clarify the scientific contribution since in its actual form does not clearly convey its scientific contribution or how it advances the existing knowledge in the field. The author should emphasize the unique aspects of their research and explain how it adds value to the scientific community.

Taniadimascio commented 9 months ago

From a reading of the manuscript, I could not figure out what research question the author intends to address in this paper. The author should clarify this aspect.

ak-petrenko commented 9 months ago

The paper describes the experience of a student studying software engineering through active participation in an open source project. This is an interesting genre of scientific paper, usually the description is presented on behalf of the teacher. As the author analyzes his participation and experience, some parts of the paper are the result of reflection. Thus, we cannot rely on the findings as being completely objective, but they are nevertheless useful material from which software engineering curricula can be developed and improved. The paper has a reasonable bibliography, a good balance between the engineering pedagogical aspects of the problem.

My curiosity was not satisfied with only one question: how do other participants evaluate the experience of participating in this process? Perhaps some comment from the supervisor or project leader would be appropriate here.

I think that the paper should be accepted.

kpapanikolaou commented 9 months ago

Reading students’ perspectives while working on a particular project is always interesting! However, a research methodology must be adopted to contribute to software development education, including research question(s), data collection and analysis, and results.

In the first part of the paper, the authors refer to open-source projects, providing some insights into software development education. However, important information is missing about the design of the project from the professor’s perspective as well as the data collection process, e.g., from the student participants in the project (qualitative or quantitative) to value the contribution of the approach followed to the learning design area for software development.

A first step for the authors to start reconsidering their contribution could be to identify the main characteristics of the particular open-source project compared to others in software development education and then collect data to prove its added value.

jnoll commented 9 months ago

I enjoyed reading this paper, which presents the author's experience contributing to an open source software project as part of a software engineering class. The paper is very well written (although the language is a bit over the top in places), and the author's enthusiasm for the subject is a refreshing alternative to the usual academic paper.

That said, I suggest some changes that could make the paper more convincing.

First, the last two paragraphs of the Conclusion are rather impressive results that belong in Section 3, as a summary of the author's contribution to the project. Moving them to Section 3 will lend credibility to the assertions made in Section 4.

Second, Section 4 makes some claims about the value of the class as preparation for an industry career. Did the author subsequently go to work as a software engineer? If so, it would be good to have examples how the experience contributing to KISS was useful on the job. If not, it would still be useful to have concrete examples of how the author imagines the activities related to KISS would help prepare for a career in industry.

Finally, a couple of minor points:

SagiAmangeldi commented 9 months ago

Dear reviewers, I am Sagi, the author of the submitted paper. I wanted to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for your time and effort in reviewing my work. This paper was based on my experience 2 ago, now I am working as a software engineer. Last couple of weeks I have been on a business trip, so I did not answer on time, I apologize. I read all your comments and suggestions and resubmitted my work. Especially: Thanks to @RobertoBagnara for detailed suggestions, Thanks to @FedericaCaruso, @Taniadimascio and @ak-petrenko for suggestions regarded my idea, Thanks to @jnoll for giving advice about the structure of my work and suggestions about examples of how the experience contributing to KISS was useful on my job.

Best regards, Sagi Amangeldi

OpenCERT_2023_paper_Sagi_Amangeldi.pdf