Content area
In a previous paper2, the authors presented an abbreviated example of implementing a common problem in the relational, object-relational and object-oriented database models. The hypothesis was that understanding these latter models would be easier for students if they saw the same database example presented in all these three models. As a test of this premise, one of the authors gave students in a database class the assignment of implementing a database problem in the three models. Students who participated were asked to report their experiences from completing the assignment. The results obtained from the students are evaluated and reported in this paper.
Keywords Database Design, Relational databases, Object-Relational databases, Object-Oriented databases.
In a previous paper1, the authors discussed a perceived difficulty that students have learning the features, capabilities, and uses of the three major database models: relational, object-relational and object-oriented. It was hypothesized that in part, this difficulty comes from the fact that in most database textbooks, these database models are presented in such a way that it is difficult to compare and contrast the features and possible uses of each model with the other two. In another paper2, the authors presented an example of the implementing a common problem in the three database models. One of the authors then used this concept in a database class, asking the students to select a problem and implement it the relational, object-relational and object-oriented database models. At the conclusion of the class the students were surveyed to gather information regarding their experiences in this process. In this paper, we present the reactions of the students who participated in this process.
2. Teams of Two
As part of a junior level computer science database theory class (CS 3520) students were organize into teams of two. Each team selected a project from a list of projects provided by the instructor (see Figure 1). Team 1: Employee Database Team 2. Bank Database Team 3. University Database Team 4. Patient Database Team 5. Recipe Database
Figure 1. Projects Selected