Chatterbot: a contribution to the software engineering teaching

• Grant number: 18/16882-6
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): October 01, 2018
• Effective date (End): September 30, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Computer Science - Computer Systems
• Principal researcher: Simone Do Rocio Senger de Souza
• Grantee: Lucas Fernandes Turci
• Home Institution: Instituto de Ciências Matemáticas e de Computação (ICMC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Software Testing is a non-trivial but essential activity for Software Quality Assurance. It is intended to reveal defects present in the software. Despite its relevance, many graduate students go to the job market without the basic knowledge regarding software testing. Based on this, there is a need to provide the means for training of personnel in Software Testing. Mechanisms to support education are considered viable alternatives, because they can be used in the academic contexts (education formal) and industrial (continuing education). There are several mechanisms to support education, such as educational games and educational modules. However, there is a lack of mechanisms that can offer mentoring during the study of the subjects. Chatterbots are programs that have the ability to interact with the user using natural language. They can offer many benefits to student learning by providing tips, explanations, illustrative examples, offering specialized tutoring, available whenever the student needs. In view of this, given that there are initiatives on education of Software Testing in different contexts (academic and industrial), massive courses pedagogical models supported by the learning methodologies students to study the theoretical content without support, a chatterbot to support the teaching of Software Test emerges as an important and necessary support mechanism. In this way, the objective of this project is to establish a chatterbot to support concept teaching on techniques and criteria. For this, the project will be based on the set of evidences on the development of educational chatterbots identified in the Master's project entitled "Educational Modules and Chatterbots to Support Approaches of Flipped Classroom in Teaching Software Testing ", funded by FAPESP (2017/10941-8).