Notes about COOL: analysis and highlights of complex view in education

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present principles from the complex approach in education and describe some practical pedagogic experiences enhancing how “real world” perspectives have influenced and contributed to curriculum development.

Design/methodology/approach

Necessity of integration in terms of knowledge modeling is an historical trend in Engineering and Computer Sciences curricula. Integration of particular technical aspects with wide global aspects is a response to globalization demands. Globalization demands require new approaches, at both educational and teaching levels. Also, educational level embeds a wide range of pedagogical proposals or teaching proposals. Since the 1990s, Engineering and Computer Sciences curricula have emphasized, increasingly, the project‐oriented approach in the Engineering field of knowledge and software engineering contents has migrated to beginners or fresh‐man level in Computer Sciences courses. This approach is called the Complex Approach in education. COOL – “Comprehensive Object‐Oriented Learning” – is an educational project mentored by Emeritus Professor Kristen Nygaard, from the Department of Informatics at Oslo University, which deals with the complex approach in education. Professor Nygaard passed away in 2002. This project was published in 2006 under the title of “Comprehensive Object‐Oriented Learning: the Learner’s Perspective”. This paper analyses theoretical aspects in Nygaard's project and also compares aspects with the author's work teaching Object Oriented Modeling in Computer Sciences and Engineering, at Federal University of Santa Catarina – UFSC, Florianopolis, Brazil. The author's pedagogic proposal, developed on those contexts, since 1997, is supported by Nygaard theory and also by Edgar Morin “Complex Thought” theory adopted by UNESCO, titled Complex Thought cathedra.

Findings

Innovation, in terms of Engineering and Computer Sciences curriculum development, is deeply related to the complex approach educational paradigm. Consequently, innovation in terms of pedagogic practices is also deeply related to the complex approach perspective. Complex approach overpasses fragmented view of knowledge towards integrative view concerning curriculum development in technological areas.

Research limitations/implications

The comprehensive object‐oriented learning presented here is applied to Computer Science and Engineering. However its development and application could impact other disciplines and education, especially in relation to technology integration in education.

Originality/value

The paper presents and discusses COOL as a concept and approach for enhanced learning, in a novel manner, taking account of theoretical underpinnings developed aligned to modern thinking.

Citation

de Oliveira, C.A. (2012), "Notes about COOL: analysis and highlights of complex view in education", Campus-Wide Information Systems, Vol. 29 No. 4, pp. 304-311. https://doi.org/10.1108/10650741211253895