Problem
Research questions and friction points this paper is trying to address.
Code Refactoring
Code Smells
Gamification
Developer Motivation
Software Engineering Education
Leveraging Game-Based Platform to Teach Code Refactoring: An Experience with Refactoria
🤖 AI Summary
This study addresses the challenge that developers often lack the motivation required to master code refactoring and smell identification skills. To overcome this, we propose Refactoria, a gamified educational tool that innovatively integrates role-playing within a culinary context with static code analysis techniques. Through interactive mechanisms, the tool guides students in completing refactoring exercises within engaging scenarios. Experimental results demonstrate that Refactoria significantly enhances learner engagement and perceived usefulness while effectively facilitating the comprehension and mastery of refactoring concepts. Ultimately, this work contributes an innovative yet practical gamified pedagogical paradigm for software engineering education, bridging the gap between technical skill acquisition and motivational design.
📝 Abstract
Refactoring is the art of improving the internal structure of the code without altering its external behavior. Because of the topic's significance, several teaching methods and strategies have been proposed in the literature. However, skills in identifying and refac- toring code smells come from training and experience, and a lack of motivation may hinder developers' adoption of refactoring tools. In this paper, we discuss the results of an experiment in the classroom that involved performing various refactoring activities to remove antipatterns using Refactoria, an innovative game-based tool that supports the acquisition of code smell and refactoring concepts. The players play as an expert chef with their sidekick Watson the Whiskbot to refactor Watson's instructions into efficient, readable, and easily maintainable code. We present an experiment with 30 student developers. In particular, we study the perception, effectiveness, and usefulness of gamification for engaging developers in code smell identification and refactoring. Our evaluation indicates a high perceived usefulness among students, and participants reported that Refactoria facilitated their understanding of the refactoring concepts.
Innovation
Methods, ideas, or system contributions that make the work stand out.
Gamification
Code Refactoring
Code Smells
Game-Based Learning
Refactoria
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