Reaching for the moon : a technique for introducing complex methods at Levels 5 and 6

Many NACCQ’s Diploma in Information of Communication Technology Level 5 and 6 students have limited knowledge of software development. This problem is especially evident in their understanding of system development life cycles, analysis of systems, or writing programmes. We report on the results of a project designed to teach students, even at this stage, to apply complex techniques and standards of system development. To test the effectiveness of this process, a software development review method was adopted and gradually introduced though several lower level courses in the ICT curriculum. This process of structuring the presentation of the material successfully met the objectives of developing student’s skill to analyse, document and audit a software project and it nurtured interpersonal skills necessary for successful teamwork. The procedure used supports the introduction of any complex method to students who might not appear to be academically prepared. Although a particular software tool, the SoDIS Project Auditor was used as the illustrative methodology; we have clear indications that any complex process can be introduced using our distributed techniques. This paper describes an actual application of this teaching approach, its outcomes, and suggests other applications of the method.