Student software designs at the undergraduate midpoint

We replicate a study and extend previous research that examined graduating students' achievement and understanding when asked to "produce a design". In this paper, we examine software designs produced by students at an earlier stage in their undergraduate studies -- the midpoint. We were looking for characteristics of the development of skill at software design as students progress through the curriculum. These students did about as well as graduating students from the same institution in terms of the quality of their software designs, although they failed to produce as many complete designs. In addition to attributes uncovered in previous research, a new design attribute was noticed -- meaningful links between static components. We raise the question of where GUI designs fit in the area of software design. We were also looking for evidence that mastering software design is a Threshold [8] that could be seen in development in this earlier cohort. There was some evidence for this, and the identified design attributes provide an indication of the sub-skills that need to be mastered. The paper concludes with some implications for the teaching of software design.