Gamification of conceptual modeling education with UML class diagrams: an experimental analysis

Abstract UML has become, throughout the years, the most popular modeling language for the conceptual design of software. However, UML diagrams are frequently flawed with semantic and syntactical errors. One of the main root causes for such issues can be traced back to software modeling education in software engineering curricula, which is typically given less attention than core development activities. The objective of this manuscript is to describe the application of gamification (i.e., the use of game-related mechanics in non-gameful contexts) to increase the motivation and engagement of Master’s students in learning the core concepts of UML modeling. Our tool prototype includes typical gamification mechanics such as avatars, achievements, scoring mechanisms, and leaderboards and incorporates a system for automatic validation of the correctness of the student’s solution. We empirically evaluated the benefits achieved through the tool by performing a controlled experiment with 280 Master’s students. We found that the use of gamification significantly increased the student commitment to perform exercises, the completeness of the exercises, and the semantic quality of the produced diagrams. Through standard usability questionnaires, we also gathered positive responses and attitudes toward the usage of the tool.