AG SMAOINEAMH TAOBH AMUIGH DEN BHOSCA: ENHANCING CREATIVE AND CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS FOR UNDERGRADUATE FINAL YEAR PROJECTS

摘要

Students undertaking their final year on the Dublin Institute of Technology's BSc in Computer Science (DT228) are required to undertake a large capstone final year project. The aim of the project is to ensure that the student can either successfully complete a large-scale software system or that they can deeply research an area of Computing. Completing a large-scale software system includes all aspects of software development including, but not limited to; Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Integration, Documentation and Maintenance. Deeply researching an area of Computing includes the correct use of the Scientific Method; using a well designed, defined and identified research method (qualitative, quantitative or a mixture of both); well-designed data collection and analysis (if applicable) and critical analysis of their research process. In either case the student undertakes a project that follows a prescribed method and requires them to evaluate the outcomes critically. Additionally it is a requirement that each capstone project shows a significant degree of creativity in approach and execution. To help facilitate this process the students are exposed to a range of creative tools including; the Six Thinking Hats technique, the CoRT techniques, the Random Word technique, and MindMaps. The Six Thinking Hats technique (6-Hats) is a tool which can be used in a range of situations as a framework for thinking, and in particular for communication tasks such as the structuring of meetings, to help focus on the thinking process. The CoRT techniques provide a collection of tools to train the mind towards better thinking and provide a practical way to teach creative and critical thinking skills. The Random Word technique is used when attempting to solve clearly defined problems; it uses a random word to generate four associated ideas, and then attempts to link these four ideas to the problem being solved. MindMaps are a visual form of note making that can be done either individually or as part of a group. This wide selection of creative approaches allows the students to choose whichever tools best suit each individual and also allows them to develop some very interesting and innovative approaches to software development.