2008
Authors
Flores, N; Aguiar, A;
Publication
PLoP08 - 15th Conference on Pattern Languages of Programs, Proceedings
Abstract
Learning and understanding a framework is usually a major obstacle to its effective reuse. Before being able to use a framework successfully, users often go through a steep learning curve by spending a lot of effort understanding its underlying architecture and design principles. This is mainly due to users having to understand not only single isolated classes, but also complex designs of several classes whose instances collaborate for many different purposes, and using many different mechanisms. In addition, frameworks are also full of delocalized plans, and use inheritance and delegation intensively, which makes their design more difficult to grasp. How to obtain the necessary information from the framework itself and its accompanying documentation is the main problem with framework understanding. Considering its importance, this paper presents an initial attempt to capture, in the pattern form, a set of proven solutions to recurrent problems of understanding frameworks. The fundamental objective of this work is to help non-experts on being more effective when trying to learn and understand object-oriented frameworks. © 2008 is held by the author(s).
2023
Authors
Flores, H; Pinto, R;
Publication
International Conference on Higher Education Advances
Abstract
Motivation and engagement play a crucial role in student success in a course. Students may lose interest or underestimate courses that tackle non-core learning outcomes to their specific curriculum or program. Gamification, using game elements (e.g., rewards, challenges) in non-game contexts, is one way to motivate and engage students. Some educational courses use project-based learning, where students tackle problems, overcome obstacles, and gain knowledge. Quest-based games are designed as systems of challenges that players must complete to advance and win the game. They were linked with education by applying specific game mechanics to a computing course unit. This paper case studies the application of a quest-based gamification approach in a mandatory software engineering course to boost engagement among higher education students. Results were collected through observational methods and surveying the students, indicating a tendency for higher grades in course years implementing gamification while maintaining satisfactory levels of motivation and engagement. © 2023 International Conference on Higher Education Advances. All rights reserved.
2024
Authors
Cammaerts, F; Tramontana, P; Paiva, ACR; Flores, N; Ricós, FP; Snoeck, M;
Publication
PROCEEDINGS OF 2024 28TH INTERNATION CONFERENCE ON EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT IN SOFTWARE ENGINEERING, EASE 2024
Abstract
Software testing is an important part of the software development lifecycle. As it is a highly sought-after skill in the industry, it is not surprising that there has been a great deal of research into the teaching of software testing in higher education. Most of this research proposes or evaluates pedagogical approaches or software testing tools to assist teachers in educating the next generation of software engineers. These evaluations are often limited to measuring teachers' opinions about the use of a novel pedagogical approach or an educational tool and students' acceptance and performance in terms of desired software testing skills. While tools and pedagogical approaches address specific aspects of a course, to date, little attention has been paid to the opinions of the students about all the individual aspects of a software testing course. This paper aims to address this missing student perspective by taking a holistic view of software testing course designs. To address this gap, an exploratory study was performed by distributing a questionnaire to 103 students from ten different courses to gauge their opinions on a software testing course they are enrolled in. The results show that students generally have a positive perception of the different aspects of their software testing course. However, several areas for improvement were suggested based on the gathered data.
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