Problem-Based Learning to Align Theory and Practice in Software Testing Teaching

Traditional approaches to teach software testing lack to align theory with practice in higher education. Problem Based Learning (PBL) is an alternative that allows learning through individual practical experiences. The objective of this paper is to report experiences to teach software testing by using PBL in Software Engineering undergraduate course of Federal University of Pampa. The report covers two editions of Problem Solving course that involved 51 students and focused on students creating and running test cases across software components developed by professors. Data collection had been made by questionnaires with open and closed questions, and data was examined by statistics and Content Analysis technique. As results, we notice evidences of knowledge and perceptions maturing by students about software testing and software quality. We also verify it's possible to mix PBL with other teaching methodologies such as gamification and to amplify their benefits.