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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Exploring the critical incident technique to encourage reflection during project-based learning

subject

description

Previous research has reported on the challenge of promoting students' generic reflection during authentic project-based courses. This work explores a teaching intervention based on Flanagan's Critical Incident Technique (CIT) during a project-based software development course. The intervention aims at increasing students' awareness of their own learning and at encouraging reflective practice throughout the project. Students were asked to report on 'incidents' when they experienced learning during the course, and to reflect on the task itself at the end of the course. The present study focuses on how students approached the incident reporting task and how they perceived it. The results indicate that CIT reporting induces reflection on learning and has positive effects on students' awareness of their own professional knowledge. On the other hand, students found it difficult to identify learning and many found the practice to disturb their work flow.