Incremental learning in a capstone project: Not all mature students are the same

Abstract

Organizations are moving away from rigid planning to a more incremental style of planning and execution in projects. There is a growing acceptance of the effectiveness of incremental change, both in industry projects and in student projects, as a development method and as a learning approach. This, though, may not bring a universal benefit to all students. As enrolments in information systems degrees decrease, an increase in the number of mature students has the potential to counter this decrease in enrolments, but mature students need a different learning and teaching approach. This paper examines the impact of the adoption of an incremental, or iterative, approach in a capstone project for mature students. In the same way that there is not a single type of mature student, there also is no common set of impacts on mature students through the use of an incremental approach to learning and development.