The Art Of Software Design A game for teaching modelling of software - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Leiden University, The university to discover

The Art Of Software Design

A game for teaching modelling of software designs

Dave Stikkolorum, Oswald de Bruin, Michel Chaudron

Leiden University, The university to discover

Challenge: “To make learning of modelling of software designs more attractive for students”

Leiden University, The university to discover

MAKE IT FUN! Interactive – Addictive – Competitive

Leiden University, The university to discover

Gamify the education of software design “The Art of Software Design” Art

Leiden University, The university to discover

Art of Software design

• Game objective
• Students : learning software design
• Basic concepts : class, operation, attribute
• Basic principles : modularity, cohesion, coupling and

information hiding

• Research : evaluating different education

approaches for teaching/learning software design

Leiden University, The university to discover

Game Overview

• Puzzle game
• Different levels
• Level = Partial design
• Basic concepts
• Principles in isolation
• Principles combined
• Level editor for

creating more puzzles

After completing a puzzle, a door to a new puzzle opens.

Leiden University, The university to discover

Game mechanics

• Task mimicks actual

design activities

• Interactive Feedback
• Scores

(based on design metrics for the principle of that level)

• Animations
• Data-flow
• Control
• Reward
• Multiple solutions

class

• peration

attribute

Leiden University, The university to discover

Control Flow Data Flow

Leiden University, The university to discover

Experiences

Students' trial

• Students like the feedback mechanism
• “It's a fun experience!”

Leiden University, The university to discover

Future Ideas

• GUI more suitable for students
• Online game
• Multiplayer
• Execute design models
• Research
• game as teaching method

http://aosd.host22.com drstikko@liacs.nl – chaudron@liacs.nl

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