Empirical evaluation of an educational game on software measurement

Abstract

Software measurement is considered important in improving the software process. However, teaching software measurement remains a challenging issue. Although, games and simulations are regarded powerful tools for learning, their learning effectiveness is not rigorously established. This paper describes the results of an explorative study to investigate the learning effectiveness of a game prototype on software measurement in order to make an initial judgment about its potential as an educational tool as well as to analyze its appropriateness, engagement and strengths & weaknesses as guidance for further evolution. Within the study, a series of experiments was conducted in parallel in three master courses in Brazil. Results of the study reveal that the participants consider the content and structure of the game appropriate, but no indication for a significant difference on learning effectiveness could be shown.

Challenges and issues in the development of a Software Engineering simulation game

“…We selected (i) questions to evaluate whether students enjoyed the game; (ii) questions that evaluate the students' perceptions about the appropriateness of the game; these were organized in eight dimensions [12]: duration, difficulty, content relevancy, correctness, sufficiency, sequence, teaching method, and adoption in a Software Engineering course; and (iii) questions about the learning perspective. The first two categories of question are related indirectly with the learning, showing how effective is the educational environment.…”

“…Typically, they present a metaphor of a software development office, where the player assumes a project manager role. The experimental evaluations of using these tools have shown a restricted number of new concepts that students have learned after playing them [2], [12]. This can be a result of a not straightforward performance feedback that is presented to the students, or the way that the virtual world was designed.…”

Educational Software Applied in Teaching Electrocardiogram: A Systematic Review

“…The use of educational software has some significant advantages; for example, (1) it allows practice in virtual scenarios, avoiding possible consequences of errors committed in real scenarios [21]; (2) it provides “learning by doing” in realistic situations [22], because it allows a singular practical experience; (3) students can learn at their own pace, allowing them to handle divergences during the learning process, so they will not be restricted to interact with their instructor and/or peers [23]. …”

The necessary software measurement knowledge in software engineering education from the practitioners' point of view

“…Software measurement is one of the factors that influence Software Process Improvement (SPI) [1,2]. According to the literature, some of the key reasons identified for measuring software processes and products are [3][4][5][6]: 1) to understand the current software development process; 2) to monitor and verify the progress of projects in course; 3) to improve the quality of the products generated; 4) to improve productivity; 5) to experimentally validate best practices; 6) to observe trends; 7) to know if the process and product goals have been met; 8) to conduct benchmarking; and 9) to make better decisions.…”

“…Although the number of studies related to software measurement is growing, only a few are addressing the teaching challenges of this subject [2,7,8]. To improve the teaching and learning of software measurement topics in software engineering programs at the undergraduate level a series of studies have been planned at École de technologie supérieure (ETS), including the two summarized in [9,10].…”