Learning Software Quality Assurance with Bricks
This addresses the problem of practical experience limitations in teaching SQA and SPI for software engineering students, though it is incremental as it adapts existing educational methods with a hands-on tool.
The paper tackled the challenge of teaching Software Quality Assurance and Software Process Improvement by developing KUALI-Brick, a LEGO-based activity that applies these concepts to building a LEGO city, resulting in high levels of fun, increased engagement, and an improved learning experience in a university course.
Software Quality Assurance (SQA) and Software Process Improvement (SPI) are topics of crucial importance for software engineers; however, teaching them in a lecture room comes with several limitations due to lack of practical experience. With that in mind, we created KUALI-Brick, a LEGO(R)-based activity that brings SQA and SPI concepts together applying them in order to successfully build a LEGO city. This hands-on activity has been carried out in a fourth-year Software Engineering course at the University of Canterbury, with current results showing high levels of fun, increased engagement and an improved learning experience. We present a step-by-step guide to replicate the activity as well as lessons learned after conducting the activity for three consecutive years.