‘Mathematical’ does not mean ‘boring’: Integrating software assignments to enhance learning of logico-mathematical concepts

Abstract

Insufficient mathematical skills of practitioners are hypothesized as one of the main hindering factors for the adoption of formal methods in industry. This problem is directly related to negative attitudes of future computing professionals to core mathematical disciplines, which are perceived as difficult, boring and not relevant to their future daily practices. This paper is a contribution to the ongoing debate on how to make courses in Logic and Formal Methods both relevant and engaging for future software practitioners.We propose to increase engagement and enhance learning by integrating ‘hands-on’ software engineering assignments based on cross-fertilization between software engineering and logic. As an example, we report on a pilot assignment given at a Logic and Formal Methods course for Information Systems students at the University of Haifa. We describe the design of the assignment, students’ feedback and discuss some lessons learnt from the pilot.