Samuel A. Malachowsky

Agile Principles Class Activity

One of the fundamentals of teaching any agile methodology, such as scrum, is the principles of the Agile Manifesto.  These concepts go to the core of agile: relying on the strength of the individual team member rather than that of the process.

In previous classes I have included these concepts as slides and required reading, sometimes going as far as having each student read a principle to the class.  Last semester, I decided to try something new to get a little more engagement in my upper-level agile process class.

First, introduce the manifesto and the principles.  These should be assigned reading, the students told of their importance, and some illustrations pertaining to individual methodologies given.  Next, have students divide into teams, put the principles on the projector (or share the URL) and give the following conditions:

1. Choose one of the principles (so that there are no duplications within the class).
2. Present that principle creatively to the class - the more creative the better.  Interpretive dance, a skit, slides, whatever - as long as it demonstrates the principle effectively.
3. You have anything in the room at your disposal - computers/projector, white boards, other students, anything you happen to have in  your bag, etc.
4. The presentation must be under 5 minutes, and you have 10 minutes to prepare.

Most of my students have chosen some sort of skit, using things like the rolling white boards as props.  Others have chosen to draw on whiteboards (two examples are illustrated in this post), and some have used online resources or videos.  I believe that this activity has increased retention at test time, homework, and activities later in the semester.

Although some team's presentations are likely to be better than others, the hope is that engaging the students directly in the ideas will improve retention, and perhaps even recreate - in a small way - the original meeting of "The Agile Alliance."

Distributed/Scaled Agile Class Activity

In this classroom activity, the difficulties associated with distributing project work between agile teams is demonstrated and resolved. ( Agile, Classroom Engagement, Classroom Activities, 2017-03-23)

Effectively Presenting Lists Activity

Use this activity to creatively give students a "hook" in remembering lists. ( Classroom Activities, Classroom Engagement, 2015-02-06)

Scrum Project 1: Brainstorming and Elaboration

Use this brainstorming activity to kick off a Scrum project or any group-based endeavor. ( Agile, Classroom Activities, 2014-10-24)

The 7 Quality Tools Class Activity

Give students an opportunity to use the seven basic quality tools as a system, rather than as separate ideas. ( Quality, Classroom Activities, 2014-10-02)

First Day Introductions

Try this activity on the first day of class - a modern twist on the traditional. ( Classroom Activities, Classroom Engagement, 2014-09-08)

Instructional Changes Brought About by COVID-Necessitated Classroom Tools

The teaching environment and tools nescecitated by the COVID pandemic has enabled some surprising new teaching efficiences. ( Classroom Engagement, Online Teaching, 2020-10-21)

Engineering a More Effective Resume Video

Watch this video to learn how Engineers should approach adding skills and experience to their resume. ( Resume, Career, 2020-09-25)

Three Things You Should Know About Software Engineers

Here are three things that you should know about the way Software Engineers approach the world around them ( Career, 2019-03-18)

Maintenance Types Activity

This activity will help cement the three maintenance types in student's heads. ( Classroom Engagement, 2016-04-28)

Explaining the Concept of a Maturity Model

What is a maturity model? Use this simple analogy when introducing the concept. ( Quality, Classroom Engagement, 2014-11-06)

Dedicated to Teaching Software Engineering

Hello, I am Samuel Malachowsky. This is a summary of the genesis, purpose, and disposition of this collection. ( Classroom Engagement, 2014-08-29)