Using rationale for software engineering education

Software engineering courses often use industrial modeling tools for their infrastructure, as it exposes students to the state-of-the practice and increases their awareness about the complexity of their craft. However, this approach has the risk of expending a disproportionate amount of effort on tools as opposed to leaching concepts. Moreover, industrial tools often do not include didactic concepts needed for education. In this paper, we discuss our experience with an integrated, rationale-based modeling tool in a variety of software engineering courses. By providing an integrated modeling environment, students use a single tool for requirements, system design, test planning, and collaboration. By attaching rationale to the models, students are encouraged to reflect on their work while instructors can monitor them and provide more insightful feedback.