Students often face several challenges when using abstraction in design patterns. Here are some of the common issues:

Understanding Abstraction

• Many students have a hard time understanding what abstraction means.
• Abstraction is about ignoring the less important details and focusing on what really matters.
• This way of thinking can be tough because it asks students to move from looking at specific details to seeing the bigger picture.

Identifying Relevant Patterns

• There are so many design patterns to choose from, and students might get confused about which one to use for a specific problem.
• If students pick the wrong design pattern, it can make their designs complicated and not effective.

Balancing Complexity and Simplicity

• Finding the right mix between making things too complicated and too simple can be tricky.
• Sometimes, students create designs that are too abstract, which makes them hard to understand and work with.

Integrating Abstraction with Real-World Constraints

• Even though abstraction is about finding general solutions, students need to keep real-world limits in mind, like how fast things can work or how many resources they need.
• Balancing these ideas can be tough and might create problems between perfect designs and what’s actually doable.

Testing and Maintenance

• Designs that use abstraction can make testing harder.
• They often need extra steps to make sure both the abstract parts and the actual working parts are functioning well.
• Students might forget how important good documentation is. Without it, it's difficult to explain their abstract ideas later on, which can cause issues when trying to fix or update their work.

Peer Collaboration

• Working with others can lead to different views on abstraction. This can cause confusion in group projects.
• It’s not always easy to explain abstract ideas, which can lead to misunderstandings and arguments within the team.