A goal model for crowdsourced software engineering

Crowdsourced Software Engineering (CSE) is the act of undertaking any external software engineering tasks by an undefined, potentially large group of online workers in an open call format. Using an open call, CSE recruits global online labor to work on various types of software engineering tasks, such as requirements extraction, design, coding and testing. The field is rising rapidly and touches various aspects of software engineering. CSE has grown significance in both academy and industry. Despite of the enormous usage and significance of CSE, there are many open challenges reported by various researchers. In order to overcome the challenges and realizing the full potential of CSE, it is highly important to understand the concrete advantages and goals of CSE. In this paper, we present a goal model for CSE, to understand the real environment of CSE, and to explore the aspects that can somehow overcome the aforementioned challenges. The model is designed using RiSD, a method for building Strategic Dependency (SD) models in the i* notation, applied in this work using iStar2.0. This work can be considered useful for CSE stakeholders (Requesters, Workers, Platform owners and CSE organizations).Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Proposed Methodology for Crowdsourcing and Agile Development

In this research work, devised a methodology for ‘crowdsourcing’ focused on incorporating these methods to Agile Development in software engineering. The whole SDLC model for crowdsourcing is developed and tried to be integrated with Agile. This is done in order to speed up the process of Agile Development as Agile is a Rapid Application Development (RAD) based software engineering methodology. The ‘workers’ of the crowdsourcing process are individually assigned the Roles of the Agile methods that function upon the Agile tasks and produce the deliverables. Keywords: Crowdsourcing, Requirement Elicitation, Tasks Hierarchy Diagram, Concurrent Task Mode

Crowdsourcing in Software Development: A State-of-the-Art Analysis

As software development cycles become shorter and shorter, while software complexity increases and IT budgets stagnate, many companies are looking for new ways of acquiring and sourcing knowledge outside their boundaries. One promising solution to aggregate know-how and manage large distributed teams in software development is crowdsourcing. This paper analyzes the existing body of knowledge regarding crowdsourcing in software development. As a result, we propose a fundamental framework with five dimensions to structure the existing insights of crowdsourcing in the context of software development and to derive a research agenda to guide further research

Accelerating Open Digital Innovation in the Automotive Industry: Action Design Research in Progress

Extant research has widely studied the impact of online product review on sales and most studies have found a significant impact of these reviews as an e-WOM tool. Given the importance of the online reviews, we study a hitherto understudied area of antecedents of sentiments in user reviews. We assess the impact of contagion effect of past review sentiments on reviewers\u27 choice to write a review. We analyze the impact of emotional response of users while writing product reviews triggered by the appraisal response to prior online reviews. A short selection of reviews, which most e-commerce websites show, along with the numerical product rating (if any) could strongly bias the sentiments in a review being written under their influence. Through a mix of experimental methods and text analysis of online reviews, we find that review writers tend to veer towards extreme reviews in absence of any benchmark or prior review

How ECS Improve Creative Use of Employees’ Knowledge?

Recently, organizations are using crowdsourcing systems (CSs) to collect innovative ideas from their employees harnessing their insights of companies’ products, processes, customers, and competitors. While crowd workers in third-party CSs are a diverse and multifaceted population with a range of motives and experience, and yet few researchers have grappled with the facilitators of the employees’ behavior comprising the creative application of their knowledge using enterprise CSs. This study develops a theoretical framework to identify enterprise CSs role and to provide the way how CSs are related to creative behavior via knowledge sharing. In this research, we used a survey to collect data from organizational employees and conducted data analysis to understand how enterprise CSs affect employees’ creative knowledge application. The findings of this study can help organization refine their ECSs and innovative initiatives

“The Second Vice is Lying, the First is Running into Debt.” Antecedents and Mitigating Practices of Social Debt: an Exploratory Study in Distributed Software Development Teams

Although much is known about the concept of technical debt in software development, less is known about its social counterpart, also known as social debt. Social debt refers to future consequences of decisions related to people and their interactions. Omissions in social interactions or reduction of communication can foster social debt – and in turn result in negative outcomes in the long run. In this paper, we explore what factors drive and mitigate social debt in distributed agile software development teams. Utilizing an exploratory case study approach, we derive insights from two case organizations. We present antecedents and mitigating factors of social debt related to communication, collaboration, and coordination

Competition matters! Self-efficacy, effort, and performance in crowdsourcing teams

Advances in information technologies (IT) have enabled organizations to seek solutions for their business problems from beyond their own workforce through digital crowdsourcing platforms. In the most common form of crowdsourcing, teams that offer solutions compete for rewards. Thus, a question of interest is whether competition is a key crowdsourcing characteristic that influences how teams allocate their effort and achieve desired performance. Motivated by this question, we investigate how competition moderates the relationship between self-efficacy and effort using comprehensive, time-variant data collected from crowdsourcing teams that completed a project under competitive and non-competitive conditions. Under competitive conditions, self-efficacy shows a positive effect on effort, which in turn, affects performance positively. Whereas, under noncompetitive conditions, self-efficacy has a negative effect on effort and subsequently on performance. Our results also show a recursive relationship between self-efficacy and performance, in which performance subsequently affects self-efficacy positively. Thus, inducing a sense of competition through competitive reward structures and IT-based “gaming elements” helps improve team effort and subsequent performance. We also tested for mediation of team motivation in the self-efficacy and effort relationship, and we found that motivation partially mediates the relationship. Based on our findings, implications for both theory and practice are discussed

Towards a digital learning ecosystem within a community of inquiry : design-based research in ICT engineering education

Yhteiskunnan lisääntyvä digitalisaatio on muuttanut oppimistapojamme ja työskentelyämme merkittävästi. Tieto- ja viestintätekniikan insinöörikoulutuksen alalla uusien digitaalisten teknologioiden ilmaantuminen ja teollisuuden vallankumous ovat synnyttäneet tarpeen kehittää uusia pedagogisia lähestymistapoja, jotka integroituvat saumattomasti alan menetelmiin ja käytäntöihin. Tämä väitöskirja keskittyy digitaalisen oppimisen ekosysteemin suunnittelukehyksen sekä sitä tukevien suunnitteluperiaatteiden luomiseen, missä verkko-oppiminen integroidaan insinöörikoulutukseen huomioiden sekä koulutuspoliittiset näkökulmat että yhteisön sidosryhmien kokemukset ja odotukset. Sidosryhmiksi tässä tutkimuksessa käsitetään opiskelijoiden lisäksi teollisuuden edustajat, sekä ohjaajina tieto- ja viestintätekniikan insinöörikoulutuksen opettajat ja yksikön tutkimus- ja kehityshanketoiminnan henkilöstö. Tutkimus sijoittuu Lapin ammattikorkeakoulun tieto- ja viestintätekniikan insinöörikoulutukseen. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on varmistaa opiskeluun sitouttavan ja mielenkiintoa ylläpitävän ekosysteemin toteutuminen, jotta opiskelijoille tarjoutuu mahdollisuus hankkia tarvittavat tiedot ja taidot todellisten ongelmien ratkaisemiseen sekä valmistautumiseen digitalisoituvaan elinkeinoelämään ja teollisuuteen. Design-tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on syventää tietämystä alan tekniikan koulutuksen suunnittelusta sekä toteutuksen vaatimuksista ja toimintaperiaatteista. Tavoitteiden saavuttamiseksi päätutkimusongelmaa: Mitkä ovat digitaalisen oppimisen ekosysteemin suunnitteluperiaatteet ja ominaisuudet, jotka vastaavat sidosryhmien tarpeisiin ja tieto- ja viestintätekniikan insinöörikoulutuksen linjauksiin sekä ohjaaviin asiakirjoihin? lähestytään tässä tutkimuksessa kaikkiaan kolmen osatutkimuksen avulla, joista kukin on raportoitu omana artikkelinaan. Ensimmäiset kaksi osatutkimusta kattavat design-tutkimuksen ensimmäisen syklin ja kolmas osatutkimus kattaa toisen syklin. Ensimmäisessä osatutkimuksessa tutkittiin tietoja viestintätekniikan insinöörikoulutuksen sen hetkisen oppimisen ekosysteemin sidosryhmien ajatuksia ja kokemuksia. Laadullisen tutkimuksen aineisto koostui opiskelijoiden haastatteluista sekä ohjaajilta että teollisuuden ja elinkeinoelämän edustajilta kerätyistä web-kyselyn vastauksista. Tulokset analysoitiin laadullisella sisällönanalyysilla. Toisessa osatutkimuksessa pilotoitiin tiimiyhteistyöalustaa hyödyntävää projektiperustaista oppimista integroidussa opetussuunnitelmassa, käyttäen sulautettua oppimista tutkivan yhteisön (Community of Inquiry, CoI) kontekstissa. Opiskelijoiden kokemuksia arvioitiin CoI-kyselytutkimuksella ja tiimityöalustan käyttöä analysoitiin palvelimen logitietojen perusteella. Kolmas osatutkimus keskittyi opiskelijoiden oppimiskokemuksiin verkossa hyödyntäen myös CoI-instrumenttia. Sekä toisen että kolmannen osatutkimuksen CoI-kyselyn vastausten analyysimenetelmänä oli Rasch Rating Scale Model -malli. Syvemmän ymmärryksen saavuttamiseksi kolmannessa osatutkimuksessa opiskelijoilta pyydettiin myös sanallisia kokemuksia ja ajatuksia. Kunkin osatutkimuksen tulokset muodostivat perustan seuraavien vaiheiden suunnittelulle ja interventioille, tukien design-tutkimuksen etenemistä ja syventäen ymmärrystä. Tämän väitöstutkimuksen tuloksena ehdotetaan digitaalisen oppimisen ekosysteemin suunnittelukehystä tieto- ja viestintätekniikan insinöörikoulutukselle. Kehystä tukevat seuraavat suunnitteluperiaatteet: 1) tiimiyhteistyöalustan käyttöönotto, 2) kaikkien sidosryhmien aktiivinen osallistuminen yhteistyöhön, 3) ekosysteemin kulttuurin luominen, 4) sulautetun oppimisen hyödyntäminen, 5) ohjaajatiimin perustaminen, 6) online-resurssipoolin luominen, 7) projektiperustaisen oppimisen soveltaminen ja 8) toimialakohtaisten menetelmien ja konseptien hyödyntäminen. Nämä suunnitteluperiaatteet voidaan edelleen tiivistää suunnittelukehyksen ominaisuuksiksi, joita ovat: 1) koheesio, 2) yhteistyö, 3) jakaminen, 4) virtuaalisuus, 5) integrointi, 6) työkalut, 7) ongelmanratkaisu ja 8) teknologia. Tämän insinööritieteitä ja kasvatustiedettä yhdistävän tutkimuksen tulokset ovat laajentaneet insinöörikoulutuksen tietämystä ja tuottaneet teoreettisesti ja empiirisesti perustellun uuden suunnittelukehyksen ICT-insinöörikoulutuksen digitaalisen oppimisen ekosysteemin suunnittelulle. Tämä tutkimus paikkaa aukon kansainvälisessä tutkimuskentässä ja luo vankan perustan jatkokeskusteluille, tutkimushankkeille ja edistysaskeleille globaalissa digitaalisessa muutoksessa. Lisäksi se edistää korkeakoulujen ja teollisuuden välistä yhteistyötä, mahdollistaen tiedon ja asiantuntemuksen vaihdon tällä nopeasti kehittyvällä alalla.The increasing digitalisation of society has significantly transformed our learning methods and work processes. In the field of information and communication technology (ICT) engineering education, the emergence of new digital technologies and the industrial revolution have created a need to develop new pedagogical approaches that seamlessly integrate with industry methods and practices. This dissertation focuses on creating a design framework for a digital learning ecosystem and supporting design principles that integrate online learning with engineering education, taking into account both educational policy perspectives and the experiences and expectations of community stakeholders. In this research, stakeholders include students, industry representatives, instructors in ICT engineering education and personnel involved in research and development projects in the ICT unit. The research is situated in the context of ICT engineering education at Lapland University of Applied Sciences. This study aims to ensure the realisation of an engaging and meaningful digital learning ecosystem, providing students with the opportunity to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to solve real-world problems and prepare for the digitising industry. The purpose of this design-based research (DBR) is to deepen our understanding of the design and implementation requirements and principles of ICT engineering education. To achieve the research goals of this study, which addresses the main research question, ‘What are the design principles and characteristics of a digital learning ecosystem that align with the needs of stakeholders and the policies in ICT engineering education?’, three sub-studies were conducted, each reported as a separate article. The first two sub-studies covered the first cycle of the DBR, and the third sub-study covered the second cycle. In the first sub-study, the thoughts and experiences of stakeholders within the current learning ecosystem of ICT engineering education were investigated. The qualitative research data consisted of interviews with students and web survey responses collected from instructors and industry representatives. The results were analysed using content analysis. The second sub-study piloted project-based learning supported by a team collaboration platform in an integrated curriculum, utilising blended learning in the context of a community of inquiry (CoI). The students’ experiences were assessed through a CoI survey, and the usage of the team collaboration platform was analysed based on server log data. The focus of the third sub-study was on students’ experiences in a fully online environment, which were examined using the CoI instrument. The results of the CoI instrument in the second and third sub-studies were analysed using the Rasch rating scale analysis method. To gain a deeper understanding, the students were also asked to provide verbal accounts of their experiences and thoughts in the third sub-study. The results of each sub-study served as a basis for planning subsequent phases and interventions, supporting the progress of the DBR and enhancing the understanding of the topic. As a result of this doctoral research, a design framework for a digital learning ecosystem is proposed for ICT engineering education. The framework is supported by the following design principles: 1) adoption of a team collaboration platform, 2) active participation of all stakeholders in collaboration, 3) creation of an ecosystem culture, 4) utilisation of blended learning methods, 5) establishment of an instructor team, 6) creation of an online resource pool, 7) application of project-based learning methods, and 8) utilisation of industry-specific methods and concepts. These design principles can be further condensed into the characteristics of the design framework, which establishes a connection between the framework and the emerging ideologies of the present era. The characteristics of the framework include 1) cohesion, 2) collaboration, 3) sharing, 4) virtual, 5) integration, 6) tools, 7) problem-solving, and 8) technology. The results of this research, which combines the disciplines of engineering and educational sciences, have expanded the new knowledge of engineering education and generated a theoretically and empirically justified design framework for a digital learning ecosystem in ICT engineering education. This research is significant because it fills a gap in the international research landscape and provides a solid foundation for further discussions, research projects, and advancements in the global digital transformation. In addition, it promotes collaboration between higher education institutions and industry, enabling the exchange of knowledge and expertise in this rapidly evolving field

Multi-objective Search-based Mobile Testing

Despite the tremendous popularity of mobile applications, mobile testing still relies heavily on manual testing. This thesis presents mobile test automation approaches based on multi-objective search. We introduce three approaches: Sapienz (for native Android app testing), Octopuz (for hybrid/web JavaScript app testing) and Polariz (for using crowdsourcing to support search-based mobile testing). These three approaches represent the primary scientific and technical contributions of the thesis. Since crowdsourcing is, itself, an emerging research area, and less well understood than search-based software engineering, the thesis also provides the first comprehensive survey on the use of crowdsourcing in software testing (in particular) and in software engineering (more generally). This survey represents a secondary contribution. Sapienz is an approach to Android testing that uses multi-objective search-based testing to automatically explore and optimise test sequences, minimising their length, while simultaneously maximising their coverage and fault revelation. The results of empirical studies demonstrate that Sapienz significantly outperforms both the state-of-the-art technique Dynodroid and the widely-used tool, Android Monkey, on all three objectives. When applied to the top 1,000 Google Play apps, Sapienz found 558 unique, previously unknown crashes. Octopuz reuses the Sapienz multi-objective search approach for automated JavaScript testing, aiming to investigate whether it replicates the Sapienz’ success on JavaScript testing. Experimental results on 10 real-world JavaScript apps provide evidence that Octopuz significantly outperforms the state of the art (and current state of practice) in automated JavaScript testing. Polariz is an approach that combines human (crowd) intelligence with machine (computational search) intelligence for mobile testing. It uses a platform that enables crowdsourced mobile testing from any source of app, via any terminal client, and by any crowd of workers. It generates replicable test scripts based on manual test traces produced by the crowd workforce, and automatically extracts from these test traces, motif events that can be used to improve search-based mobile testing approaches such as Sapienz