Using Scaffolding to Improve Written Communication of Software Engineering Students

The complexity and scale of modern software systems require that such software be developed by teams. Good communication skills are critical to the success of software development efforts. However, software engineering students typically have little experience in conveying information in a clear, complete, and unambiguous manner. In this paper we describe the use of document templates as a way to provide infrastructure to students to help them understand and better communicate software engineering information. We begin by discussing scaffolding for learning and then describe the template approach. We outline the use of templates at two different academic institutions and then discuss the benefits and drawbacks of using templates to scaffold student software engineering learning.