Aligning the Learning Experience in a Project-Based Course

In teaching and training the next generation of software engineers, programming labs with students working together in small groups provide the opportunity to obtain hands-on experience for software projects involving multiple developers. However, more than other types of courses, programming labs face some challenges in providing a similar learning outcome for all students. Based on feedback and own experience from various iterations of the programming lab at TU Dortmund University, we identified that the learning experience varies significantly due to heterogeneous prior knowledge, experience levels, and personality traits of both students and tutors.