Third European Conference on Pattern Languages of Programming and Computing Writer's Workhop C

Patterns of Learning and Communication

Jutta Eckstein:

"Incremental Role Play"

The Incremental Role Play pattern is a pedagogical pattern with the following three key concepts:

The first idea on which it relies, is why a specific architecture was developed. By explaining the problem first with an example out of the students world, they understand that there is a need of a solution for this problem.

Incremental: The pattern starts introducing a small framework, explains a medium framework in the next increment and concludes with teaching a large framework.

Interaction: The students will obtain a better understanding of complex software concepts by giving them the chance to behave as the objects being involved in a role play.

Shepherded by Jens Coldewey

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Elizabeth A. Kendall and Satya Kalikivayi:

"Capturing Goals: An Analysis Pattern"

Too often, analysis concentrates on how a system or a business functions, through scenario descriptions and interaction models. In Capturing Goals, analysis centers on capturing and structuring objectives, with emphasis on what a business or system is trying to achieve. In this pattern, the purpose of each activity is explicitly stated, and a goal hierarchy diagram is formed. This is utilized as the structural foundation for all requirements analysis; due to the nature of goals, it is less variable than a structure based on tasks and activities.

Shepherded by Andreas Rüping

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Klaus Quibeldey-Cirkel:

"ETHOS: A Pedagogical Pattern"

Design patterns and pattern languages are celebrated as a new kind of literature in the software engineering community: they help to capture, communicate, and reuse design experience in a clear and concise way. It is this economy of expression that have inspired instructors to use the pattern form to condense the body of knowledge in educating and training people in object technology. Like software engineering, pedagogy, too, is regarded as a design discipline: courses, lectures, exercises, and labs have all to be designed. As most instructors of object technology haven't had a specific pedagogical education or training, they look for an efficient vehicle to transfer teaching experience. Pedagogical design patterns will help here. A first internet-based project has started and about 50 patterns have already been collected (see http://www.cs.unca.edu/~manns/oopsla.html ). However, none of them have yet been reviewed in a PLoP-styled Writer's Workshop.

Shepherded by Paul Dyson

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Ralf Reißing:

"A Presentation Pattern Language"

Doing a good presentation is not easy. A lot of discipline and creativity is needed to prepare and do a presentation that on the one hand is received positively by its audience and on the other hand has the effects desired by the presenter. This paper gives a handful of recommendations that aid in doing a good presentation. These recommendations are partly presented as patterns, which are complemented by principles that should be followed. The patterns and principles are integrated to form a presentation pattern language.

Shepherded by Linda Rising

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Andreas Rüping:

"The Structure and Layout of Technical Documents"

A technical document has one author or a small number of authors. However, a technical document is usually read or browsed through many times and, furthermore, is typically used by a number of readers. Therefore, effort placed on the quality of technical documents generally pays off well. Authors who place effort on the quality of their documents are amply repaid by many readers' ease.

This paper presents a collection of patterns that help authors set up, develop, and improve technical documents. The focus of this paper is on the structure and layout of technical documents, and not on their contents. Guidelines concerning the contents of technical documents are to a large extent domain-specific and are beyond the scope of this paper.

Shepherded by Ken Auer

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Andreas Rüping:

"Writing and Reviewing Technical Documents"

This paper presents a collection of patterns that can help both authors and reviewers make efficient use of the time they spend on technical documents. They address organisational issues as well as social or communication issues. They are meant to improve the process of writing and to make the review of technical documents a positive experience both for the author and for the reviewers. This includes all forms of reviews, such as meeting reviews or distribution reviews or combinations of both. This paper builds upon a number of existing patterns and pattern languages that deal with related issues, such as review culture, communication issues, or teamwork.

Shepherded by James Noble

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