WIP: Object-Oriented Design Education: A Systematic Mapping Study

This WIP paper performs a systematic mapping study to investigate the evolution and trends in object-oriented design education (OOD), a critical aspect in software engineering curriculum. Based on 228 publications, the study illuminates significant pedagogical shifts in object-oriented design (OOD), distinguishing it from object-oriented programming (OOP). It also identified areas lacking in-depth research coverage. The research questions guiding this investigation include: 1) Which publication channels predominantly disseminate OODE research? 2) What teaching approaches are most reported in OODE research, and how have these approaches evolved over time? Our findings indicate a trend towards interactive and student-centered teaching methods yet underscore a pressing need for empirical studies to validate these educational strategies. This study aims to provide actionable insights for educators and curriculum developers to refine OOD teaching practices, aligning them more closely with evolving industry standards. Our future work will focus on in-depth analysis of our primary studies to gain insights on the impact of emerging technologies such as AI and VR on learning outcomes in OOD. We also plan to develop guidelines for effective integration of OOD in software engineering curriculum.