title: Patterns of Change: Can modifiable software have high coupling?

authors: Taube-Schock, Craig

subjects: software engineering

abstract: There are few aspects of modern life that remain unaffected by software, and as our day-to-day challenges change, so too must our software. Software systems are complex, and as they grow larger and more interconnected, they become more difficult to modify due to excessive change propagation. This is known as the ripple effect. The primary strategies to mitigate it are modular design, and minimization of coupling, or between-module interaction. However, analysis of complex networks has shown that many are scale-free, which means that they contain some components that are highly connected. The presence of scale-free structure implies high coupling, which suggests that software systems may be hard to modify because they suffer from the ripple effect.

In this thesis, a large corpus of open-source software systems is analysed to determine whether software systems are scale-free, whether scale-free structure results in high coupling, and whether high coupling results in ripple effects that propagate change to a large proportion of classes.

The results show that all systems in the corpus are scale-free and that that property results in high coupling. However, analysis of system evolution reveals that existing code is modified infrequently and that there is rarely sufficient evidence to be confident that ripple effects involving a high proportion of classes have actually occurred. This thesis concludes first that while it is desirable to avoid excessive interconnectivity, it is difficult to completely eliminate high coupling; and second, that the presence of high coupling does not necessarily imply poor system design.

text: Patterns of Change: Can modifiable software have high coupling? There are few aspects of modern life that remain unaffected by software, and as our day-to-day challenges change, so too must our software. Software systems are complex, and as they grow larger and more interconnected, they become more difficult to modify due to excessive change propagation. This is known as the ripple effect. The primary strategies to mitigate it are modular design, and minimization of coupling, or between-module interaction. However, analysis of complex networks has shown that many are scale-free, which means that they contain some components that are highly connected. The presence of scale-free structure implies high coupling, which suggests that software systems may be hard to modify because they suffer from the ripple effect.

In this thesis, a large corpus of open-source software systems is analysed to determine whether software systems are scale-free, whether scale-free structure results in high coupling, and whether high coupling results in ripple effects that propagate change to a large proportion of classes.

The results show that all systems in the corpus are scale-free and that that property results in high coupling. However, analysis of system evolution reveals that existing code is modified infrequently and that there is rarely sufficient evidence to be confident that ripple effects involving a high proportion of classes have actually occurred. This thesis concludes first that while it is desirable to avoid excessive interconnectivity, it is difficult to completely eliminate high coupling; and second, that the presence of high coupling does not necessarily imply poor system design.

year: 2012

title: “It’s more enjoyable but it doesn’t help you with your writing.” The impact of ICT in task design on student self-efficacy and enjoyment in writing.

authors: Fothergill, Lynn Janette

subjects: Writing

abstract: This thesis investigates the relationship between the inclusion of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) in the design of school-based writing tasks, and student self-efficacy and enjoyment in writing. It describes the development, execution and reflection of an action research intervention, which explores this relationship.

A case study methodology within an action research framework was adopted. Primarily the research was qualitative in nature, together with some quantitative data collection. The study was conducted with a class of Year 7 and 8 students and their teachers, from a full primary school in South Auckland. 

Findings suggest that students themselves made a clear distinction between the writing they do outside of school, and that which they do for school purposes. They were reluctant to acknowledge the kinds of digital writing that is not exemplified as writing at school as ‘real writing’. Although digital forms of writing were seen as enjoyable by these students, they did not see writing in this way as being helpful to their writing achievement, which they measured against formal, traditional assessment practices. 

The implication of these findings for teachers is that an expanded view of literacy must be adopted and valued to include a multimodal, multiliteracies approach to literacy, to ensure students are equipped to participate effectively in the twenty-first century. Further, students themselves will also need to diversify their views of what constitutes writing, including validating for classroom purposes, the digital writing they do beyond the classroom.

text: “It’s more enjoyable but it doesn’t help you with your writing.” The impact of ICT in task design on student self-efficacy and enjoyment in writing. This thesis investigates the relationship between the inclusion of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) in the design of school-based writing tasks, and student self-efficacy and enjoyment in writing. It describes the development, execution and reflection of an action research intervention, which explores this relationship.

A case study methodology within an action research framework was adopted. Primarily the research was qualitative in nature, together with some quantitative data collection. The study was conducted with a class of Year 7 and 8 students and their teachers, from a full primary school in South Auckland. 

Findings suggest that students themselves made a clear distinction between the writing they do outside of school, and that which they do for school purposes. They were reluctant to acknowledge the kinds of digital writing that is not exemplified as writing at school as ‘real writing’. Although digital forms of writing were seen as enjoyable by these students, they did not see writing in this way as being helpful to their writing achievement, which they measured against formal, traditional assessment practices. 

The implication of these findings for teachers is that an expanded view of literacy must be adopted and valued to include a multimodal, multiliteracies approach to literacy, to ensure students are equipped to participate effectively in the twenty-first century. Further, students themselves will also need to diversify their views of what constitutes writing, including validating for classroom purposes, the digital writing they do beyond the classroom.

year: 2013

title: A new beginning for indigenous wellbeing - Guest editorial

authors: Nikora, Linda Waimarie

abstract: Three members of the editorial board of the Journal of Indigenous Wellbeing – Te Mauri: Pimatisiwin and the Editor reflect on the genesis of the journal, comment on its journey over time, review its mission moving forward and introduces the first edition of the journal August 2016. The authors of this article include the current editorial board’s chairperson, two board members – one a past editor of the journal, the other, the journal’s present patron and the current editor.

text: A new beginning for indigenous wellbeing - Guest editorial Three members of the editorial board of the Journal of Indigenous Wellbeing – Te Mauri: Pimatisiwin and the Editor reflect on the genesis of the journal, comment on its journey over time, review its mission moving forward and introduces the first edition of the journal August 2016. The authors of this article include the current editorial board’s chairperson, two board members – one a past editor of the journal, the other, the journal’s present patron and the current editor.

year: 2016