Cross-course project-based learning in requirements engineering: An eight-year retrospective

This paper focuses presents a study of eight years of cross-course project-based learning (CC-PjBL) in an upper-level requirements and project management (RPM) course. Project-based learning (PjBL) is a method of instruction in which students learn by investigating and solving real-world problems in and open-ended, time-limited context1. Our instantiations of CC-PjBL matched paired students in an introductory software Requirements and Project Management (RPM) with students in different technology-oriented software development course(s) to utilize the requirements deliverables created by their RPM-course colleagues. The paper includes a review of relevant related PjBL literature, descriptions of our initiative and experience in applying CC-PjBL to RPM topics over eight years, and the lessons learned thereof. This paper reports summary experiences from student evaluations of these courses to evaluate the CC-PjBL experiences. The discussion also includes problems encountered with CC-PjBL assessment, faculty participation, and course hand-off, which may be useful to instructors that are considering to apply CC-PjBL as a method of instruction and to those that are currently practicing PjBL.

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