1,654 research outputs found

    Why Research on Test-Driven Development is Inconclusive?

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    [Background] Recent investigations into the effects of Test-Driven Development (TDD) have been contradictory and inconclusive. This hinders development teams to use research results as the basis for deciding whether and how to apply TDD. [Aim] To support researchers when designing a new study and to increase the applicability of TDD research in the decision-making process in the industrial context, we aim at identifying the reasons behind the inconclusive research results in TDD. [Method] We studied the state of the art in TDD research published in top venues in the past decade, and analyzed the way these studies were set up. [Results] We identified five categories of factors that directly impact the outcome of studies on TDD. [Conclusions] This work can help researchers to conduct more reliable studies, and inform practitioners of risks they need to consider when consulting research on TDD.Comment: ESEM '20: ACM / IEEE International Symposium on Empirical Software Engineering and Measurement (ESEM), October 8--9, 2020, Bari, Ital

    Agile Processes in Software Engineering and Extreme Programming

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    This open access book constitutes the proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Agile Software Development, XP 2020, which was planned to be held during June 8-12, 2020, at the IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the conference was postponed until an undetermined date. XP is the premier agile software development conference combining research and practice. It is a hybrid forum where agile researchers, academics, practitioners, thought leaders, coaches, and trainers get together to present and discuss their most recent innovations, research results, experiences, concerns, challenges, and trends. Following this history, for both researchers and seasoned practitioners XP 2020 provided an informal environment to network, share, and discover trends in Agile for the next 20 years. The 14 full and 2 short papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 37 submissions. They were organized in topical sections named: agile adoption; agile practices; large-scale agile; the business of agile; and agile and testing

    The empirical study: encouraging students’ interest in software development using test-driven development

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    The supply is not matching the demand on the market for software developers. While the enrolment in undergraduate computer science courses is increasing, few students are interested in and committed to becoming software developers. It could be that students are overwhelmed by the software development methodology that they are taught. We are consequently looking for a constructivist approach to software engineering able to effectively engage learners. We empirically evaluated whether test-driven development (TDD) is able to improve the quality of both learning and of software development in the classroom. Although numerous studies have outlined the benefits and effects of TDD in the classroom, none of those studies have focused on measuring students\u27 interest in and attitudes toward using TDD in the classroom. We present a study evaluating the impact of TDD on the engagement and focus of learners of software development in the classroom. The results illustrate that the use of TDD in the classroom encourages learners to engage and focus

    Kliinisen päätöksenteon oppiminen pelillisen simulaation avulla : Simulaatiopelien design-periaatteet

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    The aim of this study was to obtain knowledge about learning clinical reasoning through game-based simulation. This knowledge could be used in developing and embedding new learning methods for clinical reasoning in nursing education. Research has shown that nursing students lack knowledge and skills in detecting and managing changes in patients’ clinical conditions. This is often due to insufficient clinical reasoning, and thus, educational organisations need to more effectively enable the development of clinical reasoning during education. Digitalisation in higher education is increasing, and the use of virtual simulations and, recently, serious games to support professional learning and competence development is growing. The purpose of this research was to generate design principles for simulation games and to design and develop a simulation game for learning clinical reasoning. Furthermore, the purpose was to investigate nursing students learning through gaming. A design-based research methodology was used: iterative cycles of analysis, design, development, testing and refinement were conducted via collaboration among researchers, nurse educators, students, programmers, 3D artist and interface designers in a real-world setting. Mixed research methods were used. The results indicated that games used to provide significant learning experiences for nursing students need to share some of the characteristics of leisure games, especially visual authenticity, immersion, interactivity and feedback systems. In terms of the clinical reasoning process, students improved in their ability to take action and collect information. The findings showed that usability, application of nursing knowledge and exploration are the aspects of a simulation game that have the greatest impact on learning clinical reasoning. It was also revealed that authentic patient-related experiences, feedback and reflection have an indirect effect on learning clinical reasoning. This study provided opportunities to advance our knowledge of nursing students’ learning processes and experiences of learning clinical reasoning through game-based simulation. Its results add to the growing body of literature on game development in the field of nursing education by providing design principles for educational simulation games. The present study confirms previous findings and contributes additional evidence that suggests that game-based simulations are a valuable learning method for healthcare education. However, in order for serious games to add value to healthcare education, the essence of the profession needs to be built into the game, and here the contribution of healthcare professionals is priceless.Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli tuottaa tietoa kliinisen päätöksenteon oppimisesta simulaatiopeliä pelaamalla sekä oppimiseen vaikuttavista tekijöistä. Tuotettua tietoa voidaan hyödyntää kehitettäessä uusia menetelmiä kliinisen päätöksenteon opetukseen. Aikaisempien tutkimusten mukaan sairaanhoitajaopiskelijoiden kliinisen päätöksenteon osaamisessa ilmenee puutteita erityisesti potilaan kliinisen tilan huononemisen havaitsemisessa ja ennaltaehkäisyssä. Tämän vuoksi koulutusorganisaatioiden tulee entistä tehokkaammin edistää kliinisen päätöksenteon kehittymistä koulutuksen aikana. Virtuaalisimulaatioiden ja viime aikoina myös hyötypelien käyttö terveysalan koulutuksessa ammatillisen osaamisen vahvistamisessa on lisääntynyt. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli muodostaa design-periaatteet oppimista edistävän simulaatiopelin kehittämiseen sekä suunnitella ja kehittää simulaatiopeli kliinisen päätöksenteon oppimiseen. Lisäksi tarkoituksena oli tutkia sairaanhoitajaopiskelijoiden oppimista simulaatiopelillä. Tutkimuksessa toteutettiin design-tutkimuksen lähestymistapaa. Tutkimus toteutettiin sykleissä, joissa simulaatiopelin suunnittelu, kehittäminen, testaaminen ja uudelleen suunnittelu vuorottelivat. Tutkimus toteutettiin tutkijoiden, hoitotyön opettajien ja opiskelijoiden sekä pelinkehittäjien (ohjelmoijat, käyttöliittymäsuunnittelijat ja 3D artisti) yhteistyössä aidoissa ympäristöissä. Tutkimus oli monimenetelmätutkimus. Tulosten mukaan merkittävät oppimiskokemukset edellyttävät, että oppimiseen tarkoitetuissa simulaatiopeleissä on hyödynnettävä viihdepelien ominaisuuksia kuten autenttisuus, immersiivisyys, interaktiivisuus ja palautejärjestelmät. Parhaiten opiskelijat kokivat oppivansa pelaamalla tiedon keräämistä ja hoitotyön toteuttamista. Tulosten mukaan oppimista simulaatiopeliä pelaamalla selittivät käytettävyys, hoitotyön tiedon käyttö sekä tutkiskelemalla oppiminen. Lisäksi oppimiseen vaikuttivat autenttiset potilaskohtaiset kokemukset, palautteen saaminen sekä reflektointi. Tutkimusprosessissa syntyneen tiedon pohjalta muodostettiin design-periaatteet simulaatiopelin kehittämiseen. Tutkimus tuotti tietoa simulaatiopelejä pelaavien sairaanhoitajaopiskelijoiden oppimisprosesseista sekä oppimiskokemuksista. Lisäksi tutkimus osoitti, että terveysalan ammattilaisten osallistuminen pelinkehitykseen on korvaamatonta, jotta ammatin syvin olemus saadaan rakennetua sisään pelimekaniikkaan. Tutkimus tuotti tietoa oppimista tukevien pelien kehittämisestä, jota voidaan hyödyntää kehitettäessä pelejä terveysalan koulutukseen sekä myös muille ammatillisen koulutuksen alueille

    Decision Making in Innovation and Entrepreneurship: a Collection of Conjoint-based Studies

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    Diese Arbeit mit dem Titel „Decision Making in Innovation and Entrepreneurship – A Collection of Conjoint-based Studies“ beschäftigt sich mit unterschiedlichen Themenbereichen der Kognition, Entscheidungsfindung und des Engagements im innovativen und unternehmerischen Umfeld. Die Conjoint-Analyse bildet dabei die Basis für diese Untersuchungen. Sie erlaubt, Rückschlüsse auf das Entscheidungsverhalten von Unternehmensgründern, deren Mitarbeiter, sowie von Projektmanagern zu ziehen. Forschung im Bereich der Kognition und Entscheidungsfindung von Akteuren im innovativen und unternehmerischen Umfeld ist von hoher Bedeutung. Forschung und Entwicklung in Universitäten und Forschungsinstituten sowie innovative Unternehmen tragen beachtlich zur Innovationstätigkeit und somit zum Wirtschaftswachstum einer Ökonomie bei. Jedoch weisen junge Unternehmen eine geringe Überlebenswahrscheinlichkeit auf. Oft ist das Scheitern junger Unternehmen auf Fehler in Managemententscheidungen und Beurteilungen, z.B. einem zu großen Optimismus, zurückzuführen. Auch Innovationsprojekte von Unternehmen und Forschungsinstituten scheitern deshalb häufig. Einsichten in die Entscheidungsfindung von Unternehmensgründern und Projektmanagern können unser Wissen über mögliche Ursachen für das Scheitern erweitern und Handlungsanweisungen aufzeigen. Weiterhin bilden Mitarbeiter in jungen innovativen Unternehmen eine wichtige Ressource. Ausgeprägtes Engagement von Mitarbeitern kann den Unternehmenserfolg positiv beeinflussen und somit die Überlebenswahrscheinlichkeit für junge Unternehmen erhöhen. Einflüsse auf das Engagement von Mitarbeitern, im jungen Unternehmen zu arbeiten, sollen in dieser Arbeit aufgezeigt werden, um somit praktische Implikationen für den Unternehmensgründer anzubieten

    Investigation of police decision making using combined EEG and virtual reality methods

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    Police officers in the UK are granted additional powers to allow them to protect life and property crime. Of these powers, the sanction to use stopping, potentially lethal, force given to Authorised Firearms Officers (AFO) is arguably the most salient. Each decision made by an AFO to discharge their firearm or not has great impact and so it is important we research the cognitive processes that lead to such a decision.One challenge of researching these cognitive processes is eliciting ecologically valid behaviour while maintaining internal validity. We approached this challenge by developing combined electroencephalography (EEG) and virtual reality research methods. Using these methods, we produced scenarios that reflected features of AFO training. First, we tested simple versions of the scenarios on a novice population. Following this, we increased the complexity of the scenarios and collected data from both AFOs and novices.We found that participants were fastest when responding to threatening scenarios. Further, AFOs had consistently faster response times than novices. In line with similar ‘Go/No-Go’ paradigms, we found greater increases in pre-response frontal-midline theta when participants did not shoot versus when they did. Comparisons of EEG between AFOs and novices revealed greater pre-response increases in frontal-midline theta and central delta when they equipped a firearm. Greater differences in delta activity were also observed between different levels of threat in the AFO group.Together, these findings suggest that differences in performance between experts and novices may be due to their greater attention towards threat. Further investigation of expert decision making should build on our use of naturalistic stimuli and expert participants to ensure that findings are ecologically valid.With increasing accessibility of modern game engines and virtual reality technology, this approach will be beneficial to researchers in many fields where ecological validity is required

    Testing the Mere Exposure Effect in Videogaming

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    Due to proliferation of media and platforms it is becoming increasingly difficult for marketers to reach and engage consumers using traditional forms of mass media such as advertising. Marketers are turning to alternate forms of communication, such as brand placement in videogames as the games industry continues to grow. To date academic research appears inconclusive in terms of validating the use of videogames as a promotional tool. Moreover, there is a lack of empirical evidence concerning the effects on consumers and brands of marketing messages in the videogame environment. This aim of this study was to investigate whether exposure to brand placement affects unknown brand likeability as a result of mere exposure for game players and game watchers in videogames. The study adopted a quasi-experiment between group design, with a Control, Watch Group and Play Group (300 participants in total) and a post exposure questionnaire. Results suggest some support a mere exposure effect which is that a frequently presented brand placement in a videogame can have a positive effect on players and watchers’ brand attitudes, although they do not recall the brand. This is the first empirical study to investigate brand placement and mere exposure effects in videogames. Theoretically, the study contributes to knowledge concerning brand placement processing in videogames and builds on the existing paradigms of MEE, low-involvement processing, implicit and explicit processing and brand attitude formation. For game developers and brand owners, the study has implications for marketing communications strategy, and graphic design elements for the placements, design of videogames and the most effective position for placements in a game

    Biometric storyboards: a games user research approach for improving qualitative evaluations of player experience

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    Developing video games is an iterative and demanding process. It is difficult to achieve the goal of most video games — to be enjoyable, engaging and to create revenue for game developers — because of many hard-to-evaluate factors, such as the different ways players can interact with the game. Understanding how players behave during gameplay is of vital importance to developers and can be uncovered in user tests as part of game development. This can help developers to identify and resolve any potential problem areas before release, leading to a better player experience and possibly higher game review scores and sales. However, traditional user testing methods were developed for function and efficiency oriented applications. Hence, many traditional user testing methods cannot be applied in the same way for video game evaluation. This thesis presents an investigation into the contributions of physiological measurements in user testing within games user research (GUR). GUR specifically studies the interaction between a game and users (players) with the aim to provide feedback for developers to help them to optimise the game design of their title. An evaluation technique called Biometric Storyboards is developed, which visualises the relationships between game events, player feedback and changes in a player’s physiological state. Biometric Storyboards contributes to the field of human-computer interaction and GUR in three important areas: (1) visualising mixedmeasures of player experience, (2) deconstructing game design by analysing game events and pace, (3) incremental improvement of classic user research techniques (such as interviews and physiological measurements). These contributions are described in practical case studies, interviews with game developers and laboratory experiments. The results show this evaluation approach can enable games user researchers to increase the plausibility and persuasiveness of their reports and facilitate developers to better deliver their design goals. Biometric Storyboards is not aimed at replacing existing methods, but to extend them with mixed methods visualisations, to provide powerful tools for games user researchers and developers to better understand and communicate player needs, interactions and experiences. The contributions of this thesis are directly applicable for user researchers and game developers, as well as for researchers in user experience evaluation in entertainment systems
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