research-article

The Comfort of Distance: Student Choices and Soft Skill Development during a Hybrid Hackathon in Post-Pandemic Learning

Authors:

Carlos Zimmerle,

Lavinia PaganiniAuthors Info & Claims

SBES '23: Proceedings of the XXXVII Brazilian Symposium on Software Engineering

Pages 368 - 377

https://doi.org/10.1145/3613372.3614201

Published: 25 September 2023 Publication History

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted traditional educational methods, forcing a quick transition to emergency remote learning. With the subsequent rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, universities and society as a whole gradually resumed in-person activities. Students and university staff had to readjust to on-site learning and its associated challenges. This experience report specifically focuses on a course at University [omitted] dedicated to the design and development of Distributed Applications. Students engaged in a hybrid hackathon – an activity blending in-person and remote work – as part of the course. Despite their preferences for in-person collaboration, the majority of the students opted for remote participation. The goal of this report is to understand the students’ choices and adaptations to this new post-pandemic educational setting. We collected data through an anonymous survey and group interviews, revealing that the preference for remote work stemmed from convenience. Despite this, the distant collaboration allowed students to develop various soft skills. This exploration can shed light on future educational approaches in a world where online and in-person interactions can coexist.

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Cited By

Garcia RCsizmadia APearce JAlshaigy BGlebova OHarrington BLiaskos KLunn SMackellar BNasir UPettit RSchulz SStewart CZavaleta Bernuy AMonga MLonati VBarendsen ESheard JPaterson J(2025)An International Examination of Non-Technical Skills and Professional Dispositions in Computing -- Identifying the Present Day Academia-Industry Gap2024 Working Group Reports on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education10.1145/3689187.3709610(124-174)Online publication date: 22-Jan-2025
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3689187.3709610
Fronza IIaccarino GCorral L(2024)Nurturing Hybrid Work Literacy in Upper Secondary Schools: Selecting the Best Hybrid Work Configuration for Coding Camps2024 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE)10.1109/FIE61694.2024.10893177(1-9)Online publication date: 13-Oct-2024
https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE61694.2024.10893177

Index Terms

The Comfort of Distance: Student Choices and Soft Skill Development during a Hybrid Hackathon in Post-Pandemic Learning
1. Applied computing
  1. Education
    1. Collaborative learning

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SBES '23: Proceedings of the XXXVII Brazilian Symposium on Software Engineering

September 2023

570 pages

ISBN:9798400707872

DOI:10.1145/3613372

Copyright © 2023 ACM.

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Published: 25 September 2023

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SBES 2023

SBES 2023: XXXVII Brazilian Symposium on Software Engineering

September 25 - 29, 2023

Campo Grande, Brazil

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Garcia RCsizmadia APearce JAlshaigy BGlebova OHarrington BLiaskos KLunn SMackellar BNasir UPettit RSchulz SStewart CZavaleta Bernuy AMonga MLonati VBarendsen ESheard JPaterson J(2025)An International Examination of Non-Technical Skills and Professional Dispositions in Computing -- Identifying the Present Day Academia-Industry Gap2024 Working Group Reports on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education10.1145/3689187.3709610(124-174)Online publication date: 22-Jan-2025
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3689187.3709610
Fronza IIaccarino GCorral L(2024)Nurturing Hybrid Work Literacy in Upper Secondary Schools: Selecting the Best Hybrid Work Configuration for Coding Camps2024 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE)10.1109/FIE61694.2024.10893177(1-9)Online publication date: 13-Oct-2024
https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE61694.2024.10893177

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