Learning Software Quality Assurance with Bricks

TL;DR

This paper presents KUALI-Brick, a LEGO-based hands-on activity designed to teach Software Quality Assurance and Process Improvement concepts through practical city-building exercises, enhancing engagement and learning.

Contribution

It introduces a novel, practical activity using LEGO bricks to teach SQA and SPI, with a detailed guide and insights from three years of implementation.

Findings

High engagement and fun reported by students

Improved understanding of SQA and SPI concepts

Successful replication of activity over three years

Abstract

Software Quality Assurance (SQA) and Software Process Improvement (SPI) are topics of crucial importance for software engineers; however, teaching them in a lecture room comes with several limitations due to lack of practical experience. With that in mind, we created KUALI-Brick, a LEGO(R)-based activity that brings SQA and SPI concepts together applying them in order to successfully build a LEGO city. This hands-on activity has been carried out in a fourth-year Software Engineering course at the University of Canterbury, with current results showing high levels of fun, increased engagement and an improved learning experience. We present a step-by-step guide to replicate the activity as well as lessons learned after conducting the activity for three consecutive years.