Promotion of ERD Design Comprehension Using Recomposing Method

Abstract

Conceptual modelling is a critical ability for a computer science student, enabling them to create a variety of conceptual models such as Entity Relationship Diagrams (ERDs). However, learning to create an ERD is a challenging task especially for novices because it involves various cognitive processes and actions. This research proposes a recomposing approach using kit-build exercise for ERD design learning. In a kit-build exercise, a student is provided a set of components of a structure and asked to recompose the structure using these components. The kit-build exercise has advantages as (1) reducing student’s cognitive load by providing available components and (2) realization of automatic assessment by comparing recomposed structure with the original structure. This exercise has been already implemented for concept maps and the learning effect has also been confirmed both experimentally and practically. Considering the structural similarities between ERDs and concept maps, we have applied the kit-build exercise approach to ERDs. In this paper, we describe the kit- build exercise for ERD with automatic assessment and feedback.