Integrating formal and informal learning through a FLOSS-based innovative approach

It is said that due to the peculiar dynamics of FLOSS communities and their projects, effective participation in them is a privileged way to acquire the relevant skills and expertise in FLOSS development. Such is probably the reason for a number of higher education institutions to include in their curricula in Software Engineering some form of contact with the FLOSS reality. This paper explores such a perspective through an on-going case study on university students collaboration in FLOSS projects. The aim of this research is to 1) identify what should be learnt about software development through regular participation in a FLOSS project/community, and 2) assess the didactic potential of this kind of non-standard learning experiences. To this aim we resorted to a participatory research action approach and qualitative methods, namely case studies combining direct observation and interviews.This work is supported by Macao Science and Technology Development Fund (MSTDF), File No. 019 / 2011 / A1, as well as the ERDF - European Regional Development Fund through the COMPETE Programme (operational programme for competitiveness), by National Funds through FCT - the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, within project FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-010047