Scholarlink

<p>UML has become, throughout the years, the most popular modeling language for the conceptual design of software. However, UML diagrams are frequently flawed with semantic and syntactical errors. One of the main root causes for such issues can be traced back to software modeling education in software engineering curricula, which is typically given less attention than core development activities. The objective of this manuscript is to describe the application of gamification (i.e., the use of game-related mechanics in non-gameful contexts) to increase the motivation and engagement of Master’s students in learning the core concepts of UML modeling. Our tool prototype includes typical gamification mechanics such as avatars, achievements, scoring mechanisms, and leaderboards and incorporates a system for automatic validation of the correctness of the student’s solution. We empirically evaluated the benefits achieved through the tool by performing a controlled experiment with 280 Master’s students. We found that the use of gamification significantly increased the student commitment to perform exercises, the completeness of the exercises, and the semantic quality of the produced diagrams. Through standard usability questionnaires, we also gathered positive responses and attitudes toward the usage of the tool.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Gamification of conceptual modeling education with UML class diagrams: an experimental analysis

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2025年4月7日

查看全文
  • Giacomo Garaccione,
  • Riccardo Coppola,
  • Luca Ardito,
  • Marco Torchiano

摘要

UML has become, throughout the years, the most popular modeling language for the conceptual design of software. However, UML diagrams are frequently flawed with semantic and syntactical errors. One of the main root causes for such issues can be traced back to software modeling education in software engineering curricula, which is typically given less attention than core development activities. The objective of this manuscript is to describe the application of gamification (i.e., the use of game-related mechanics in non-gameful contexts) to increase the motivation and engagement of Master’s students in learning the core concepts of UML modeling. Our tool prototype includes typical gamification mechanics such as avatars, achievements, scoring mechanisms, and leaderboards and incorporates a system for automatic validation of the correctness of the student’s solution. We empirically evaluated the benefits achieved through the tool by performing a controlled experiment with 280 Master’s students. We found that the use of gamification significantly increased the student commitment to perform exercises, the completeness of the exercises, and the semantic quality of the produced diagrams. Through standard usability questionnaires, we also gathered positive responses and attitudes toward the usage of the tool.