CASE Tools: Constructivism and its Application to Learning and Usability of Software Engineering Tools

Software Engineering is a new discipline aimed at the improvement of the production of large, quality software systems. Interest in CASE tools has grown because of the important role they play in supporting the software development process. Studies show these complex and sophisticated tools have a positive impact on quality and productivity but they have been slow to be adopted by industry; this is partially explained by the difficulty of learning to use the tool. The constructivist theory of knowledge and learning views knowledge not as pre-existing, but constructed. Individuals are different and these differences affect how a user performs when using a software package. This first phase of our research examines the learning styles of our students and addresses issues confronting them when using a complex software package; namely Rational Rose, our chosen CASE tool.