Software Engineering Education Research Articles

Half a Century of Software Engineering Education: The CMU Exemplar

From the aspirational title of the 1968 NATO conference, software engineering has evolved to a well-defined engineering discipline with strong educational underpinnings. The supporting educational foundation has grown from a few courses in programming languages and data structures, evolving through structured programming, correctness formalisms, and state machine abstractions to full curricula and degree programs. With this context in mind, the authors discuss the evolution of software engineering education and pedagogy, software engineering principles, and future needs, drawing specifically on their experience at Carnegie Mellon University. Reflecting on the software development profession today, they believe that formal software engineering education is needed at least as much as it was in earlier decades. However, it must address the increasing diversity of the developer community, and it must be an education based on the enduring principles that will last a lifetime. This article is part of a theme issue on software engineering’s 50th anniversary.

An Alliance-Based Term Project in Software Quality Courses: a Lesson Learned

Software testing education has become important in the field of software engineering education. In the previous software quality assurance course, students were asked to form teams to complete a term project. By working on term projects, students can learn programming skills and test skills in a practical way. However, from the experience of the last 3 years, we found that students only did unit testing and system performance testing well but did poorly in integration testing. In addition, students do not yet have the concept of system decomposition and integration, even though it is important during software development. In this paper we report our improvements to software testing course design - an alliance-based approach. In the term project, students are organized into teams and many teams are grouped into alliances. Each alliance has a team of masters building game platforms for others. The master team must define the application interface to interact with other gaming teams, and they must perform integration tests based on the defined interface. In this paper we report our experiences and student feedback on the educational approach.

Teaching Software Engineering with Gamification Elements

Students of software engineering courses in higher education often experience a lack of motivation, partly caused by traditional teaching methods. In our study program we introduced a novel blended learning concept with threefold gamification elements for teaching software engineering. In this paper we present the teaching method mix with particular focus on the integration of three gamification elements to increase students’ engagement.

Delivering the fundamentals of software architecture, design and abstraction by developing a ray tracer for 3‐dimensional graphical scenes

AbstractSoftware architects and designers develop abstract models of problems in the aim of designing software‐based solutions in the context of customer's needs. Current paradigms for software engineering education are often providing a narrow interpretation of the field, neglecting the art of conceiving useful abstractions of new—often discipline‐oriented—problems. Here, an introductory course to software engineering, design and architecture is described. The course is based on designing and modeling a ray tracer for a virtual 3‐dimensional graphical renderer, including the realization of the physics involved (light sources, rays, reflections, refractions, colors, occlusions, etc.). During the course, students integrate their fundamental knowledge of mathematics and physics, with their basic understanding of algorithms, data structures, object‐oriented design and programming. Multi‐phase surveys (n = 312) show increased level of interest, challenge, and relevance. Course materials are available in NBEL‐lab.com and shared under the creative common agreement.

Qualidade de jogos digitais e não digitais utilizados para o ensino de engenharia de software no Brasil

Os jogos educacionais têm sido utilizados como uma estratégia inovadora para o ensino de Engenharia de Software (ES) no Brasil. No entanto, é essencial avaliar estes jogos para obter evidências sobre a sua qualidade. Diante disso, o objetivo deste artigo é sintetizar evidências empíricas sobre a qualidade dos jogos digitais e não-digitais utilizados para o ensino de ES no Brasil. A análise baseia-se em dados coletados de 41 estudos de caso que utilizam o Meega, o modelo mais utilizado para a avaliação de jogos educacionais, avaliando 19 jogos, envolvendo uma população de 704 alunos. Os resultados indicam evidências de que os jogos digitais e não-digitais podem contribuir para a aprendizagem, proporcionando uma experiência agradável e envolvente aos alunos e motivando-os ao estudo. Esses resultados podem orientar instrutores na seleção de jogos como métodos instrucionais e guiar criadores de jogos em relação ao desenvolvimento de novos jogos educacionais.Palavras-chave: avaliação da qualidade, jogos educacionais, engenharia de software.

On the effectiveness of virtual reality in the education of software engineering

AbstractThe popularity of virtual reality headsets have been rapidly increasing. With this technology, students can efficiently interact with the course content and learn the material faster than the traditional methodologies. In addition to this benefit, virtual reality devices also draw the attention of young generation and this helps to the widespread use of this technology among students. In this study, we investigate the use of virtual reality on the performance of computer engineering bachelor science (BS) students within the scope of Data Structures course and develop a software‐intensive system called “Virtual Reality Enhanced Interactive Teaching Environment” (VR‐ENITE). Specifically, we focus on the sorting algorithms such as selection sort, bubble sort, insertions sort, and merge sort which are relatively hard to be understood by the BS students at first glance. For the evaluation of VR‐ENITE, students were divided into two groups: a group which uses VR‐ENITE in addition to the traditional teaching material and the control group which utilizes from only the traditional material. In order to evaluate the performance of these two groups having 36 students in total, a multiple choice exam was delivered to all of them. According to the test results, students who used the VR‐ENITE system got 12% more successful results in average than the students who are in the control group. This study experimentally shows that VR‐ENITE which is based on virtual reality technology is effective for teaching software engineering courses and it has assistive capabilities for traditional teaching approaches.

An Experience Report on Workshop on Emerging Software Engineering Education

column Share on An Experience Report on Workshop on Emerging Software Engineering Education Authors: Paramvir Singh NIT Jalandhar (Punjab, India) NIT Jalandhar (Punjab, India)View Profile , Sheikh Umar Farooq University of Kashmir (Jammu and Kashmir, India) University of Kashmir (Jammu and Kashmir, India)View Profile , Saurabh Tiwari DA-IICT Gandhinagar (Gujarat, India) DA-IICT Gandhinagar (Gujarat, India)View Profile , Ashish Sureka Ashoka University (Haryana, India) Ashoka University (Haryana, India)View Profile Authors Info & Claims ACM SIGSOFT Software Engineering NotesVolume 43Issue 2April 2018 pp 12–23https://doi.org/10.1145/3203094.3203112Published:25 May 2018Publication History 2citation159DownloadsMetricsTotal Citations2Total Downloads159Last 12 Months8Last 6 weeks2 Get Citation AlertsNew Citation Alert added!This alert has been successfully added and will be sent to:You will be notified whenever a record that you have chosen has been cited.To manage your alert preferences, click on the button below.Manage my AlertsNew Citation Alert!Please log in to your account Save to BinderSave to BinderCreate a New BinderNameCancelCreateExport CitationPublisher SiteGet Access

Gamification in software engineering education: A systematic mapping

The potential of gamification in education is based on the hypothesis that it supports and motivates students and can thus lead to enhanced learning processes and outcomes. Gamification in software engineering (SE) education is in its infancy. However, as SE educators we are particularly interested in understanding how gamification is pollinating our field and the extent to which the above claim is valid in our context. A systematic literature mapping has underscored the difficulty in fully corroborating the above claim because few empirical data are available so far. However, key trends and challenges have been identified. We found that the purpose of applying gamification in the SE field is mostly directly related to improving student engagement and, to a lesser extent, to improving student knowledge, although other targets are the application of SE best practices and socialization. We have also discussed insightful issues regarding the implementation cost of gamification, patterns in the most often used gamification elements, and the SE processes and teaching activities addressed. Of the identified challenges, we should highlight the complexity of deciding which gamification approach to follow, the lack of information for choosing gamification elements and the need to control the impact of gamification.

Engaging STEM Ethics Education

The automation of knowledge via algorithms, code and big data has brought new ethical concerns that computer scientists and engineers are not yet trained to identify or mediate. We present our experience of using original research to develop scenarios to explore how STS scholars can produce materials that facilitate ethics education in computer science, data science, and software engineering. STS scholars are uniquely trained to investigate the societal context of science and technology as well as the meaning STEM researchers attach to their day-to-day work practices. In this project, we use a collaborative, co-constitutive method of doing ethics education that focuses on building an ethical framework based on empirical practices, highlighting two issues in particular: data validity and the relations between data and inequalities. Through data-grounded scenario writing, we demonstrate how STS scholars and other social scientists can apply their expertise to the production of educational materials to spark broad ranging discussions that explore the connections between values, ethics, STEM, politics, and social contexts.

The two paradigms of software development research

The most profound conflict in software engineering is not between positivist and interpretivist research approaches or Agile and Heavyweight software development methods, but between the Rational and Empirical Design Paradigms. The Rational and Empirical Paradigms are disparate constellations of beliefs about how software is and should be created. The Rational Paradigm remains dominant in software engineering research, standards and curricula despite being contradicted by decades of empirical research. The Rational Paradigm views analysis, design and programming as separate activities despite empirical research showing that they are simultaneous and inextricably interconnected. The Rational Paradigm views developers as executing plans despite empirical research showing that plans are a weak resource for informing situated action. The Rational Paradigm views success in terms of the Project Triangle (scope, time, cost and quality) despite empirical researching showing that the Project Triangle omits critical dimensions of success. The Rational Paradigm assumes that analysts elicit requirements despite empirical research showing that analysts and stakeholders co-construct preferences. The Rational Paradigm views professionals as using software development methods despite empirical research showing that methods are rarely used, very rarely used as intended, and typically weak resources for informing situated action. This article therefore elucidates the Empirical Design Paradigm, an alternative view of software development more consistent with empirical evidence. Embracing the Empirical Paradigm is crucial for retaining scientific legitimacy, solving numerous practical problems and improving software engineering education.

Dr. Robert B. France – contributions to model-driven engineering and software engineering education

Dr Robert B. France was a pillar and a major contributor to the foundations of the field of model-driven engineering; his legacy is broad and will be long-lasting. Robert Bertrand France, born on 8...

Collaborative Approach in Software Engineering Education: An Interdisciplinary Case

Aim/Purpose: This study was aimed at enhancing students’ learning of software engineering methods. A collaboration between the Computer Science, Business Management, and Product Design programs was formed to work on actual projects with real clients. This interdisciplinary form of collaboration simulates the realities of a diverse Software Engineering team. Background: A collaborative approach implemented through projects has been the established pedagogy for introducing the Software Engineering course to undergraduate Computer Science students. The collaboration, however, is limited to collaboration among Computer Science students and their clients. This case study explored an enhancement to the collaborative approach to project development by integrating other related disciplines into the project development framework; hence, the Interdisciplinary Approach. Methodology: This study adopted the case method approach. An interdisciplinary service innovation activity was proposed to invite other disciplines in the learning process of the computer science students. The agile methodology Scrum was used as the software development approach during project development. Survey data were collected from the students to establish (a) their perception of the interdisciplinary approach to project development; (b) the factors that influenced success or failure of their team to deliver the project; and (c) the perceived skills or knowledge that they acquired from the interdisciplinary approach. Analysis of data followed a mixed method approach. Contribution: The study improved the current pedagogy for Software Engineering education by integrating other related disciplines into the software project development framework. Findings: Data collected showed that the students generally accepted the interdisciplinary approach to project development. Factors such as project relevance, teamwork, time and schedule, and administration support, among others, affect team performance towards project completion. In the case of the Computer Science students, results show that students have learned skills during the experience that, as literature reveal, can only be acquired or mastered in their future profession as software engineers. Recommendations for Practitioners: The active collaboration of the industry with the University and the involvement of the other related courses in teaching software engineering methods are critical to the development of the students, not only in learning the methodology but also as a working professional. Recommendation for Researchers: It is interesting to know and eventually understand the interactions between interdisciplinary team members in the conduct of Software Engineering practices while working on their projects. More specifically, what creative tensions arise and how do the interdisciplinary teams handle the discourse? Impact on Society: This study bridges the gap between how Software Engineering is taught in the university and how Software Engineering teams work in real life. Future Research: Future research is targeted at refining and elaborating the elements of the interdisciplinary framework presented in this paper towards an integrated course module for Software Engineering education.

Activity Oriented Teaching Strategy for Software Engineering Course: An Experience Report

Aim/Purpose: This paper presents the findings of an Activity-Oriented Teaching Strategy (AOTS) conducted for a postgraduate level Software Engineering (SE) course with the aim of imparting meaningful software development experience for the students. The research question is framed as whether the activity-oriented teaching strategy helps students to acquire practical knowledge of Software Engineering and thus bridge the gap between academia and software industry. Background: Software Engineering Education (SEE) in India is mainly focused on teaching theoretical concepts rather than emphasizing on practical knowledge in software development process. It has been noticed that many students of CS/IT background are struggling when they start their career in the software industry due to inadequate familiarity with the software development process. In the current context of SE education, there is a knowledge gap between the theory learned in the classroom and the actual requirement demanded by the software industry. Methodology: The methodology opted for in this study was action research since the teachers are trying to solve the practical problems and deficiencies encountered while teaching SE. There are four pedagogies in AOTS for fulfilling the requirements of the desired teaching strategy. They are flipped classroom, project role-play for developing project artifacts, teaching by example, and student seminars. The study was conducted among a set of Postgraduate students of the Software Engineering programme at Cochin University of Science and Technology, India. Contribution: AOTS can fulfil both academic and industrial requirements by actively engaging the students in the learning process and thus helping them develop their professional skills. Findings: AOTS can be molded as a promising teaching strategy for learning Software Engineering. It focuses on the essential skill sets demanded by the software industry such as communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and understanding of the software development processes. Impact on Society: Activity-oriented teaching strategies can fulfil both academic and industrial requirements by actively engaging the students in the SE learning process and thus helping them in developing their professional skills. Future Research: AOTS can be refined by adding/modifying pedagogies and including different features like an online evaluation system, virtual classroom etc.

Towards a Generic Education Pattern of System Analysis and Design Courses: An Empirical Study

System analysis and design plays an integral part in the development process, which makes it a mandatory and important topic in software engineering education. However, the diverse design concerns and activities involved in deign process make it a great difficult to deliver system design topic effectively. To enhance the learning process, we utilized the mission guides style teaching in our system design course. Students are required to analyze and design a package delivery application system by using suggested open materials and tools. Positive feedbacks are received on stimulating students’ interest. To explore a more generic education pattern for system analysis and design education, we conducted an empirical study based on the information and reflection collected during course delivery process. Students’ presentation performance, assignment quality, final reflection and professor’s evaluation were summarized and analyzed. In this study, we found that (1) teamwork can stimulate students’ learning interest and passion, making class atmosphere active; (2) scenario-based modeling practice can help students improve the understanding of knowledge more quickly and easily; (3) most students prefer (Sino-English) Bilingual teaching method to gain a more professional education. These results indicate the key factors towards a generic education pattern of system design course. It is also expected to be utilized on better courses preparing.

Toward a Discipline of Cyber Security: Some Parallels with the Development of Software Engineering Education

Coordinated programs of education are a powerful engine for social change. That is where the parallel between the evolution of software engineering education and the emerging discipline of cybersecurity is so instructive. This article traces the development of a commonly accepted curriculum for cybersecurity in reference to the emergence of software engineering as an academic discipline. Based on the parallels, it is concluded that cybersecurity is presently at an encouraging watershed.

Nuevas tendencias en educación, juegos serios con tecnología móvil en Windows 10 Mobile

Objective. This research article aims to check the research on serious games for mobile devices, focusing on devices running Windows10 Mobile OS, to study their influence on software modeling and engineering teaching and learning, as well as their existence or absence in our environment. We expect this research to become a useful tool for the future development of this field, which we believe needs a larger learning choice based on the development of useful competences for everyday life and decision-making. This could represent a valuable starting point for developers and a solid base for educators willing to find innovative ways to reach their students, thus increasing their engagement and share of autonomous work. Methodology. The analytic process applied on this study was structured in 3 stages: • Data mining: Research on free access websites and specialized magazines for contents on mediated use of serious games on mobile devices, paying special attention to those dealing with Windows Mobile OS and its implantation on software modeling teaching. • Analysis setting-up: Gathering all the information relevant to the topic and structuration of the analysis on the latest trends on serious games for Windows 10 mobile. • Conclusions: Inference of the results from the research. Results. The obtained results allowed us to detect serious gaps on traditional teaching methods, which can be solved through methodologies supported in the serious games and the current technology. This article is part of the project “Software modeling learning using web-based computer games; Case study: sequence diagram” of the Instituto Tecnologico Metropolitano (ITM), continuation of the project “Software modeling teaching and learning using serious games; Case study: Interaction diagrams” (Guerrero, Anaya y Trujillo, 2010).

A Course Design for Individualized Learning Leveraging Didactic Functions of Mobile Learning Devices

Mobile computing and wireless technologies are transforming traditional educational patterns. The use of mobile devices for educational purposes led to what is known as <em>mobile learning</em>. In recent years, mobile learning strategies have been increasingly adopted in higher education. They support personalized, informal, situated, contextualized and ubiquitous learning. In practice, we have witnessed that courses in software engineering education often do not lead to the expected learning outcomes. In this paper, we will therefore present a motivating and learner-centered approach for mobile e-learning in application prototyping. We use mobile devices as key enabler serving different didactic functions in the context of learning, prototyping and collaboration.

Applying Active Methodologies for Teaching Software Engineering in Computer Engineering

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 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.

Support vector regression for predicting the productivity of higher education graduate students from individually developed software projects

Productivity prediction of a software engineer is necessary to determine whether corrective actions are needed and to identify improvement options to produce better results. It can be performed from abstraction levels such as organisation, team project, individual project, or task. Software engineering education and training has approached its efforts at individual level. In this study, the authors propose the application of a data mining technique named support vector regression (SVR) to predict the productivity of individuals (i.e. graduate students). Its prediction accuracy was compared with that of a statistical regression model, and with those of two neural networks. After applying a Wilcoxon statistical test, results suggest that an SVR with linear kernel using new and changed lines of code, and programming language experience as independent variables, could be used for predicting the individual productivity of a higher education graduate student, when software projects coded in either Java or C++ programming languages, have been developed by following a disciplined process specifically proposed for academic environments.

Guidelines for using empirical studies in software engineering education

Software engineering education is under constant pressure to provide students with industry-relevant knowledge and skills. Educators must address issues beyond exercises and theories that can be directly rehearsed in small settings. Industry training has similar requirements of relevance as companies seek to keep their workforce up to date with technological advances. Real-life software development often deals with large, software-intensive systems and is influenced by the complex effects of teamwork and distributed software development, which are hard to demonstrate in an educational environment. A way to experience such effects and to increase the relevance of software engineering education is to apply empirical studies in teaching. In this paper, we show how different types of empirical studies can be used for educational purposes in software engineering. We give examples illustrating how to utilize empirical studies, discuss challenges, and derive an initial guideline that supports teachers to include empirical studies in software engineering courses. Furthermore, we give examples that show how empirical studies contribute to high-quality learning outcomes, to student motivation, and to the awareness of the advantages of applying software engineering principles. Having awareness, experience, and understanding of the actions required, students are more likely to apply such principles under real-life constraints in their working life.