Enhancing the Student Learning Experience by Adopting TDD and BDD in Course Projects

A demonstration of the application and contribution of Test-Driven Development (TDD) and Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) in the student learning experience in the context of a Software Engineering course. Background: Software testing is an activity for ensuring software quality. Although teaching testing rigorously to students is a priority in academia, undergraduate students often encounter difficulties performing testing tasks effectively. Intended Outcomes: To increase satisfaction rate and course grades, and reduce delivery time. Application Design: We experimented with the Software Engineering Laboratory (LES) course of a Private University in the Bachelor of Computer Science and Information Systems courses. This experiment corroborated the learning difficulties of students. Collected data were assessed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Findings: Backed up with statistical tests, the results showed a reduction in student absences, higher student satisfaction rate, and higher grades in the courses. Furthermore, our approach allowed students to deliver a product in a short period, representing a possibility of adoption of BDD due to their successful learning experience. Finally, we aim to foster a discussion of appropriate teaching methods of software testing.