Learning Software Project Management on the Web: The Impact of Question Prompts

This work focuses on the efficiency of question prompts for supporting students, when learning through cases in an ill-structured domain, such as Software Project Management. Three groups of students studied cases in a lab-session time period using a web-based environment, where question prompts directed students to think on important issues of the case material. The first group studied the cases without the question prompts, the second group studied, while prompted to provide written answers to questions embedded in the cases, and the third group studied and was asked only to think of possible answers for the question prompts. Post-tests did not reveal any significant differences between the three groups. This result is discussed in the light of a previous study, which showed that this kind of prompting may have beneficial impact on student learning in a prolonged study-time setting, where students are able to self-regulate their study activity.