It´s All in the Game: Teaching Software Process Concepts

A major challenge in teaching software engineering to undergraduates is that most students have limited industry experience, so the problems addressed are unknown and hence unappreciated. Issues of scope prevent a realistic software engineering experience, and students often graduate with a simplistic view of software engineering´s challenges. Problems and programmers (PnP) is a competitive, physical card game that simulates the software engineering process from requirements specification to product delivery. Deliverables are abstracted, allowing a focus on process issues and for lessons to be learned in a relatively short time. The rules are easy to understand and the game´s physical nature allows for face-to-face interaction between players. The game´s developers have described PnP in previous publications, but this paper reports the game´s use within a larger educational scheme. Students learn and play PnP, and then are required to create a software requirements specification based on the game. Finally, students reflect on the game´s strengths and weaknesses and their experiences in an individual essay. The paper discusses this approach, students´ experiences and overall outcomes, and offers an independent, critical look at the game, its use, and potential improvements