Pedagogy in Software Engineering courses continue to evolve as new evidence-based approaches to teaching becomes more widespread. This evolution is necessary and timely given that the effective development of software applications requires the use of a wide array of skills, including both technical and non-technical skills. Students are required to learn both of these skill sets in the classroom at the same time since most software engineering curricula include at most two software engineering courses. The technical skills needed for effective software engineering include knowledge of the: software process – requirements, design, validation and evolution; and tools and techniques (a) to model various artifacts in the requirements and design phases, (b) support verification and validation, and (c) maintenance activities post software implementation. The non-technical (soft) skills include effective: communication, team management and participation, and time management, among others.
In this paper we present our experiences of integrating learning and engagement strategies (LESs) intp face-to-face (F2F) and online class activities for both software engineering and software testing undergraduate classes. The LESs use in our pedagogical approach include: collaborative learning, gamification, problem-based learning, and social interaction. Our approach is guided by the LES Integration Model (LESIM) and supported by SEP-CyLE (Software Engineering and Programming Cyberlearning Environment). SEP-CyLE (https://stem-cyle.cis.fiu.edu/), an instance of STEM-CyLE, contains vetted learning content in the form of learning objects and tutorials, and can be configured to use various combinations of LESs.
We conducted a quasi-experimental quantitative study to determine the students’ perception of using LESIM in the classroom with respect to student learning and engagement in class activities. The main research question focuses on students’ perception of the impact on student learning and engagement when using LESs in the classroom as compared to other classes previously taken in their program of study. Preliminary studies have indicated an improvement in student learning when there is an increase of class time dedicated to LESs and a reduction in time to traditional lecture style teaching.
The main contributions of this work are as follows:
1. Determine the effectiveness of using LESIM from students’ point of view for both F2F and online class activities, based on the scope of our study.
2. Present our experiences of using LESIM in both software engineering and software testing undergraduate classes.
3. Based on our experiences in the aforementioned classes, propose how LESIM may be more effectively used in future software engineering and testing classes.
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6320-636X
Florida International University
[biography]
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