Comparing Remote and Co-located Interaction in Free and Open Source Software Engineering Projects
Kevin Buffardi · 2017
By working on open source software projects, software engineering students can benefit from working on more realistic products than traditional, educational programming assignments. However, careers in software engineering demand learning how to work within a professional environment and how to follow software development processes. We studied the impact of students' interactions with external collaborators on open source projects and found many similar outcomes between those who communicated remotely and those who communicated face-to-face. However, we also discovered that face-to-face interactions with local software professionals following the Localized Free and Open Source (LFOSS) model had particular advantages in teaching Agile methods, holding students accountable, and introducing professional networking opportunities.