Collaborative Learning in a Software Bug-Tracking Scenario

Bug-tracking in software engineering is a distributed work process that involves collaborative learning. We seek to understand this process better through theories which view learning as a situated activity [Suchman 87, Lave 88]. Lave and Wenger argue that learning is a function of the activity, context, and culture in which it occurs (i.e. is situated) [Lave, Wenger 91]. A critical ingredient of situated learning is social interaction [Nardi 93]. People become involved in a community of practice which embodies certain roles of individuals and norms of behaviors. Within this community, learning occurs incidentally to a task. Thus, we examine the bug-tracking scenario with respect to the knowledge that individuals must acquire, and the collaborations necessary to acquire and apply this knowledge. Our long-term goal is to develop this analysis sufficiently to guide the adaptation of software engineering tools (e.g., see [Taylor et al. 96]) to support learning in the collaborative context of bug-tracking and software maintenance.