Teaching Software Engineering through a Collaborative Game

Learning Software Engineering principles, processes, methods and tools is a prerequisite to becoming a Software Engineer. The technological advancements and revolution in this new century are probing the boundaries of education and training in software engineering. This work tries to locate the shortcomings in existing approaches to Education in Software Engineering (ESE) in respect to today's technological advancements. We hereby proposed a new model for Education in Software Engineering to bridge the industry-academia gap.

Indian software industry has set up huge growth targets for future. These targets would be heavily affected by the software engineering (SE) education scenario in the country. The purpose of this paper is to provide a holistic understanding of SE education issues and challenges specific to Indian context, from both industry and academic perspective. This study is based on our (a) interaction with industry through SE education related projects, surveys and discussions. (B) Observations as an integral part of Indian SE educators' community. There is an urgent need for addressing these deep rooted issues, as the lack of proper SE education may be the single largest factor that may negatively affect the industry. Understanding these issues will help to identify the action items that initiate software engineering educational reforms in the country. We also discuss the essential and minimal set of SE knowledge, skills and dispositions that the Indian industry expects from engineers who will be joining the industry. Indian software industry is a global leader in software application development and maintenance services, but there very few studies on the issues and effects associated with SE education in the Indian context. Though this discussion is limited to India, but we believe that it represents the existing conditions in many developing countries where IT and ITES (IT enabled services) industry is gaining importance.

Contribution: Results and conclusions on the use of transactive memory system (TMS) in software engineering (SE) education in student project teams that consist of undergraduate and postgraduate students are documented. This can be valuable for the adoption of this learning approach and team formation by other universities and institutes. Background: Preparing students for the SE industry requires bringing them in close collaboration to real-world tasks. This is usually performed via students carrying out software projects, working in teams. In such environments, the knowledge sharing and the interactions within the team are worth investigating, as they can affect the outcome of the student collaboration and can provide insight on how the collaboration is valued by the team members. Research Questions: 1) What is the effect of TMS on students in SE education? 2) Do parameters, such as gender, affect TMS development? 3) Does the inclusion of a project manager with more expertise affect TMS? Methodology: Students were divided into teams working on SE projects. Teams consist of both undergraduate and postgraduate students. Data from students on TMS for consecutive academic years were gathered. Findings: TMS is present in student teams and some of its scale items are affected by parameters, such as the team composition and the project type. TMS also affects performance.

Gamification has proven to be an adequate approach in various educational environments, from kindergarten and elementary school to higher education classrooms. While it has been extremely effective with school students and standard subjects, such as STEM, when applied correctly, gamification and game-based learning can be applied with older students, even in the information technology and software engineering field. The paper outlines the results based on the experience of applying gamification of education to attract and stimulate student motivation and engagement in class. An approach for including games to teach software engineering methods and concepts is described. Different styles of software engineering games are examined and several of the most appropriate and relevant to the students’ field of study are integrated in the Software engineering course. Descriptions of the games and the planned student progression through them are presented. A collaborative agile team-based approach is implemented and described. A suitable number of student groups have been selected, and the results from surveys held among those students are shown. Conclusions about the improvement of the process are discussed.

This paper proposes a framework to support the development and use of tools that support the teaching of software and Web engineering. It describes the evolution of tools to support the teaching of software engineering from simple client-side tools that support drawing DFDs and UML diagrams to Web-based repositories that support process modelling. The paper specifically introduces the concept of and describes their use within the WWW. It also describes tools that automatically create automated walkthroughs for the World Wide Web (WWW) and their evaluation within a masters-level software engineering module. Conclusions are drawn about the general applicability of the framework and proposals are made for further work in this area.

The traditional teaching-learning processes used by Chilean universities are changing. This document describes two innovative strategies applied to teach software engineering (SE) at two universities in Chile. Teaching experiences are part of our ongoing effort to improve the current teaching-learning strategies of SE in the mentioned universities. In this paper, we describe our teaching experiences using both problem-based learning (PBL) and an agile software engineering methodology, to achieve learning outcomes and to improve students' participation during classes. We present two ways to correlate the activities of a software project; these activities are tasks of a software methodology and an active learning strategy based on PBL. The strategies used to verify the accomplishment of these goals are also detailed.

In the Software Engineering Education (SEE) context, virtual worlds have been used in order to improve learning outcomes. However, there is a gap in the literature in order to characterize the use of the Metaverse for SEE. The objective of this work is to characterize the state of the art of virtual worlds in SEE and provide research opportunities and challenges to fill the limitations found. We conducted a systematic literature review, and we established 8 research questions that guided the study, as well as performed data extraction. We report on 17 primary studies that deal mostly with immersive experiences in SEE. The results show some limitations: few Software Engineering (SE) topics are covered; most applications simulate environments and do not explore new ways of viewing and interacting; there is no interoperability between virtual worlds; learning analysis techniques are not applied; and biometric data are not considered in the validations of the studies. Although there are virtual worlds for SEE, the results indicate the need to develop mechanisms in order to support the integration between virtual worlds. Therefore, based on the findings of the review, we established a set of components grouped by 5 layers to enable the Metaverse for SEE through fundamental requirements. We hope that this work can motivate promising research in order to foster immersive learning experiences in SE through the Metaverse.

Software engineering education must be guided by developments in software engineering and aim for professional and educational development of students. This position paper explores the historical and conceptual evolution of software engineering as a discipline central to modern integrated design, software systems, and process science, tracing the trajectory from early structured models, through waterfall, to Agile and AI-augmented paradigms, and looks at how changes in application mix and modes of use, technological complexity, and business and enterprise needs have shaped development methodologies. Special attention is paid to the role of generative AI on the software engineering process and the role of the software engineer, altering workflows, collaboration, and enterprise architectures, and further enabling automation, digital transformation, and autonomous systems, shifting responsibilities and skill sets upwards. The article then considers corresponding shifts in software engineering education, highlighting the need for curricula that intertwine process thinking, systems theory, and ethical engagement, integrate with generative AI technologies, and place greater emphasis on “soft skills”, in courses that combine development of professional expertise with conceptual capabilities and an enhanced capacity for life-long learning. It then presents a set of requirements, options, and guidelines for software engineering education in the era of generative AI.

Within the last few years constructivism has attracted both computer science and software engineer educators, because of its potential for improving academic learning. Currently, however, the application of constructivism is limited to examples in specific contexts so that it is difficult to transfer them to other institutions or even other courses. To apply effectively constructivism to software engineering and computer science education, instructors need a generic pedagogical model for translating constructivist principles into practice. This paper reports on the application of a pedagogical model for translating constructivism into a Web-based course in object-oriented software engineering.

University Extension is an educational, cultural, and scientific process that establishes the exchange between academic and popular knowledge. Project-Based Learning (PjBL) consists of allowing students to confront the issues and problems of the world through a real project. PjBL has been adopted in Software Engineering (SE) teaching to motivate and engage students in studying and applying processes and methods. In this work, the university extension was integrated with the PjBL in teaching SE in a postgraduate course to bring students closer to real practices of software development, meeting a demand from the State of notorious value for society. Interviews were conducted with stakeholders, artifacts were delivered, and students received feedback from the professor and the stakeholders. Through a questionnaire, the students provided feedback about the practical activity, the learning method, and their perceptions regarding their evolution and dedication to group work. We can highlight the following findings: (i) the use of PjBL together with extension and the development of a real project was promising for the evolution of learning; (ii) greater motivation of the students, who evaluated: (iii) the learning method as satisfactory, and (iv) the practical activity and their evolution of learning as good and excellent. Our main contribution is the lessons learned that might guide future experiences that adopt PjBL in SE teaching and extension.

This paper presents a graduate curriculum for software engineering education, as proposed by the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT). In order to define such a curriculum, it is first necessary to define what is meant by the term “software engineer,” and what capabilities are expected in a graduate of such a program. The process of “software engineering” is examined in the context of requirements for software system development and management within the Air Force. These requirements help define the fundamental concepts and techniques, as well as the support tools, which must be integrated into an effective curriculum for software engineering. The program presented incorporates both the theory and practice of software engineering. The proposed curriculum for a Master of Science degree with a major in software engineering is based on AFIT’s experience with software engineering education and its ongoing contact with many Air Force agencies involved in software development. Many of AFIT’s student thesis efforts have involved large-scale software developments which often extend from student to student over several years. This paper presents this program, along with supporting discussion of program objectives and course content.

Most of the principles and concepts that need to be taught in Software Engineering courses are hard to share the realistic experiences because it is difficult to give the student practical exposure to the insight and processes involved. This paper presents an innovative framework tailored for the establishment of an immersive learning environment within the context of a Software Engineering Project course. The overarching objective is to effectively tackle the inherent challenges associated with teaching intricate software engineering concepts, notably Agile Scrum and Team Software Process (TSPi). Conventional pedagogical approaches often prove inadequate in providing a comprehensive and engaging learning experience for students, educators and stakeholders. In response, our study introduces a pioneering immersive learning approach, offering a robust solution to this educational gap. To gauge the framework's efficacy and pertinence, we conducted online surveys, specifically targeting third-year students enrolled in the Software Engineering Laboratory course and the project stakeholders involved. These surveys were instrumental in collecting valuable feedback on the practicality and impact of our approach in enhancing the teaching and learning processes. This study presents a thorough exposition encompassing the framework's conceptualization, implementation and iterative evolution. Our research outcomes reveal that our immersive learning approach has successfully met the predefined course objectives, effectively addressing the intrinsic challenge of imparting hands-on experiences associated with software engineering principles and concepts. As a significant contribution to the ongoing initiatives aimed at elevating software engineering education, our study underscores the importance of providing students with tangible exposure to vital concepts such as Agile Scrum and TSPi. Moreover, this paper delineates the collaborative journey involved in the creation, execution and refinement of the course framework. Ultimately, our research endeavours to evaluate the degree to which our innovative framework aligns with the objectives established by both students and stakeholders. By doing so, it underscores the transformative potential of our approach in reshaping the landscape of software engineering education, ultimately enhancing its effectiveness and relevance.

Teaching software engineering (SE) in our universities and colleges is crucial as a means to help offset the software crisis. This paper describes an evolutionary approach used at one university to address the problems of teaching software engineering. Issues of difficulty in teaching software engineering, the evolution of software engineering techniques and our specific evolutionary approaches to teaching software engineering are presented. The nature of our courses, projects and laboratories in the curriculum is examined. Suggestions are presented on enhancements to existing approaches to software engineering education techniques, with an emphasis on guidelines for projects.

The research aims to study the efficacy of random forest algorithm modelling student grades in software engineering education and compares the predictions made by the model with actual student grades. The data are collected from 88 students from Sanda University in the course "Software Testing Practice" including both subjective ratings by teachers and team leaders across five dimensions: testing requirements, testing plans, testing cases, defect discovery, and testing reports; and students' actual grades in the course "Software Engineering and Project Management" which are objective assessment criteria. It will be compared between two models, Random Forest versus AdaBoost, to determine which is better predicting the students' grades. The overall model designed in this study with subjective ratings from a single course to predict future grades in related courses can be demonstrated to show different performance using their respective different performance models. It has been shown through correlation studies that the random forest model exhibits a greater correlation with actual scores (0.629) than does the AdaBoost model (0.475). More evaluation with measurements such as MAE, MPE, MAPE, as well as R² confirmed the advantages of the random forest model in terms of accuracy and reliability. The model can be further enhanced and made adaptable to various learning environments to more accurately reflect and inform better decision-making in the future and ongoing software engineering education improvements.

It is a common belief that good software tools are necessary to support both research and education in software engineering. The authors document their experience, in support of this belief, with two data flow testing tools named ASSET and ATAC and one mutation testing tool named MOTHRA. These tools have been in use at Purdue University in research projects related to software testing and reliability. The tools have also been used in both undergraduate and graduate courses in software engineering. >