Implementing Scrum Wholesale in the Classroom

Abstract

As the most widely used agile software development method, Scrum has become a mainstay in many organizations that develop software. Despite Scrum's popularity, several studies examine Scrum implementations that include some parts of the methodology and exclude others. This paper describes how Scrum has been incorporated into the classroom wholesale and highlights important considerations when using Scrum for student software development projects. Students having little to no knowledge of Scrum were able to gain confidence in using the method in a real-world setting. The paper discusses the use of a hands-on Scrum project as a pedagogical tool for teaching the Scrum methodology and software development life cycle principles. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected to understand student experiences with a wholesale Scrum implementation in the classroom. The paper concludes with data analysis and recommendations for implementing Scrum in future projects.