Automated Feedback for Quality Assurance in Software Engineering Education

Abstract

This paper investigates the use of automated testing tools for improving the quality of programs produced by software engineering students. Our approach to software quality assurance utilizes open source, professional software engineering tools to measure a number of quality attributes. Programming assignments are designed and the tools configured to provide timely, formative feedback to students. Evaluation of over 450 student assignments developed both with and without tool support demonstrates that the feedback both enables and motivates students to improve significantly the quality of their submitted programming assignments.