Vanesa Metaj

Santiago Berrezueta-Guzman, Vanesa Metaj, Stefan Wagner

As the landscape of software engineering evolves, introductory programming courses must go beyond teaching syntax to foster comprehensive technical competencies and professional soft skills. This paper reports on a pedagogical experience in a "Fundamentals of Programming" course that used a Project-Based Learning (PBL) framework to develop a 2D "Maze Runner"-style game. While game development serves as a high-engagement vehicle for mastering core concepts, such as multidimensional arrays, control structures, and logic, the core of this study focuses on implementing a rigorous, multifaceted assessment model structured across four distinct dimensions: (1) an in-situ technical demonstration, evaluating real-time code execution and algorithmic robustness; (2) a technical screencast, requiring students to articulate their work in a concise audiovisual format; (3) a formal presentation to instructors, defending their project's design patterns and problem-solving strategies; and (4) a structured peer-review process, where students evaluated their colleagues' projects. Our findings suggest that this multi-dimensional approach not only improves student retention of programming fundamentals but also significantly enhances communication skills and critical thinking. By integrating peer evaluation and multimedia documentation, the course successfully bridges the gap between basic coding and the collaborative requirements of modern software engineering. This paper details the curriculum design, the challenges of implementing diverse assessment pillars, and the measurable impact on student performance and engagement, providing a scalable roadmap for educators looking to modernize introductory computing curricula.

Santiago Berrezueta-Guzman, Vanesa Metaj, Stefan Wagner

Requirements elicitation is among the most communication-intensive activities in software engineering, yet it receives limited explicit treatment in undergraduate curricula. This paper presents a case study of an Introduction to Software Engineering course in which 20 student teams applied requirements elicitation practices to a Java-based 2D game they had built in a prior programming course, engaging 18 campus doctoral and postdoctoral researchers as authentic clients. Structured across four phases--preparation, client meeting, requirements elaboration, and a prototype sprint--the activity produced 203 elicited requirements, SRS documents with a mean quality score of $6.79 \pm 1.08$ out of 10, and prototype demonstrations scoring $7.21 \pm 1.15$. A pre/post self-assessment survey revealed statistically significant improvements across all eight measured soft-skill dimensions, with the largest gains in Stakeholder Empathy ($Δ= +1.33$) and Negotiation ($Δ= +1.13$). Thematic analysis of reflective reports identified four dominant learning themes, with the tension between client wishes and technical feasibility cited as the most professionally relevant experience. Our findings suggest that anchoring elicitation practice to a student-authored artifact lowers cognitive barriers while increasing authenticity, and that campus researchers serve as an accessible and effective proxy client for programs without established industry partnerships.