Enhancing Student Engagement and Success Through Interactive Agile/SCRUM Workflows in Online Capstone Courses

Published on: 03/24/2025

Click here to try out the interactive

Project Overview:

The Agile/SCRUM Interactive Roadmap was developed to address the unique challenges of managing high-stakes, large-scale group projects in a fully online environment. This groundbreaking innovation, co-created by [Nominee’s Name] and Professor Helen Chavez, serves as the cornerstone of a multi-semester Capstone course sequence for upper-level computer science students at Arizona State University’s Fulton Schools of Engineering. The roadmap integrates comprehensive guidance on Agile/SCRUM workflows with custom lecture videos and point-of-need instructional materials, enabling students to independently navigate complex methodologies while fostering collaboration and self-directed learning.

The roadmap is central to a course sequence where students partner with community sponsors to develop authentic products showcased at an end-of-year event. This interactive tool seamlessly aligns course modules, assignments, and lecture content, ensuring consistent understanding and application of Agile/SCRUM principles across student teams and stakeholders.

Why We Created This Interactive:

The launch of the Capstone course sequence introduced the challenge of managing multi-semester group projects in an online modality. Traditional instructional approaches fell short of addressing the complexities of Agile/SCRUM, a widely used methodology in industry settings. Students struggled to navigate the process, often asking, “What should we be doing next?” during team and instructor meetings, which detracted from meaningful discussions and decision-making.

The interactive roadmap was created to:

  • Provide a structured yet flexible guide for students to understand and implement Agile/SCRUM workflows.
  • Foster shared cognition and mental models within student teams.
  • Improve the quality of team collaboration and student-instructor interactions.
  • Ensure accessibility and inclusivity, allowing students to complete their degrees meaningfully regardless of their circumstances.

Innovation & Approach:

The interactive roadmap represents a significant academic innovation in instructional design and technology integration. Key elements of its approach include:

  • Embedded Instructional Support: Custom lecture videos and just-in-time instructional materials are embedded within the roadmap, enabling students to access guidance as they progress through project phases.
  • Visual and Linguistic Consistency: The roadmap’s visuals and language are seamlessly integrated into course modules, assignments, and lectures, reinforcing consistent understanding and application of Agile/SCRUM concepts.
  • Independent and Team Learning: By shifting the focus away from procedural questions, the roadmap fosters self-directed learning and enables teams to focus on actionable feedback and strategic decisions.
  • Stakeholder Alignment: The roadmap bridges the gap between academic and industry practices, ensuring community sponsors’ expectations align with student workflows, resulting in a more collaborative and productive experience.

Key Outcomes & Results:

The implementation of the Agile/SCRUM Interactive Roadmap has yielded significant benefits for students, instructors, and community sponsors:

  • Improved Collaboration: Students report a more cohesive team dynamic and an enhanced ability to work together effectively on complex projects.
  • Enhanced Student-Instructor Interactions: Meetings now center on actionable feedback and strategic decision-making rather than procedural clarifications.
  • Increased Accessibility: The roadmap ensures that the Capstone course is accessible across multiple modalities, empowering students to succeed regardless of their circumstances.
  • Stronger Academia-Industry Connections: Community sponsors benefit from a more structured and collaborative experience, enhancing the quality of student projects and strengthening ties between academia and industry

Best Practices:

Key takeaways from the development and implementation of the interactive roadmap include:

  • Collaborative Design: Partnering with subject matter experts, like Professor Helen Chavez, ensures the roadmap aligns with both academic goals and industry standards.
  • Integrated Support Materials: Embedding instructional resources directly into the tool provides students with on-demand support, minimizing confusion and fostering independence.
  • Consistency Across Platforms: Ensuring the roadmap’s language and visuals align with course content reinforces understanding and application of key concepts.
  • Feedback-Driven Iteration: Gathering input from students, instructors, and community sponsors enables continuous improvement and adaptation of the tool to meet evolving needs.
  • Focus on Accessibility: Designing the roadmap for multiple modalities ensures all students can succeed, regardless of their circumstances.

Conclusion:

The Agile/SCRUM Interactive Roadmap exemplifies the transformative potential of academic innovation in online education. By addressing the challenges of managing large-scale group projects in a fully online environment, this tool has not only enhanced student success but also strengthened connections between academia and industry. Its integration of cutting-edge instructional design and technology sets a new standard for interactive learning tools in higher education.