Learning within a professional environment: shared ownership of an HFOSS project

This paper describes student learning within the environment of an HFOSS project that is jointly shared between the GNOME Accessibility Team and three academic institutions. This effort differs from many project-based learning efforts in that the project is shared between the academic participants and the HFOSS community. By involving students in an HFOSS project, learning is started via apprenticeship which allows students to learn from professionals while preparing them for their professional life. Learning within the community of an ongoing FOSS project guides students in the first steps towards understanding the importance of life-long learning as well as providing an initial understanding of the ways in which such learning occurs. The results of a student survey and observations of student reflection papers are discussed.