Origami: An Active Learning Exercise for Scrum Project Management

Authors

Christopher Sibona, University of North Carolina - Wilmington
Saba Pourreza, University of North Carolina - Wilmington
Stephen Hill, University of North Carolina - Wilmington

Abstract

Scrum is a popular project management model for iterative delivery of software that subscribes to Agile principles. This paper describes an origami active learning exercise to teach the principles of Scrum in management information systems courses. The exercise shows students how Agile methods respond to changes in requirements during project implementation, one of the four Agile principles, in a deeper manner than many Agile active learning exercises. This learning activity uses an uncommon approach in Agile exercises in that tasks are provided, estimates made, progress is measured, and pivots to new tasks can be introduced based on task progress. All students were introduced to Scrum through two different lessons – one lecture-focused and one activity-focused. Students were surveyed after each lesson to determine lesson effectiveness. Students indicated they understood Agile concepts after completing the exercise and found the activity engaging. Students’ perceptions of Agile were similar for both lecture and activity lessons. The results from the study find that students’ perception of Agile learning increased when they had the lecture followed by the activity. If class time is constrained to a single lesson then the activity would be more beneficial than the lecture. Detailed instructions are provided for instructors to complete this activity.

Recommended Citation

Sibona, Christopher; Pourreza, Saba; and Hill, Stephen (2018) "Origami: An Active Learning Exercise for Scrum Project Management," Journal of Information Systems Education: Vol. 29 : Iss. 2 , 105-116.
Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/jise/vol29/iss2/6