SaPeer Approach for Training Requirements Analysts: An Application Tailored to a Low-resource Context

Abstract

[Context and Motivation] Role-playing is a typical pedagogical strategy frequently applied in requirements engineering education and training (REET). The technique was proven to be successful for teaching different requirements engineering (RE) activities, and the SaPeer role-playing approach was recently proposed to train students in requirements elicitation interviews. SaPeer was shown to be effective and useful in the context of a high-resource RE module involving seven tutors, and a three-weeks individual assignment. [Question/Problem] RE lectures are frequently conducted as part of software engineering courses, or in short RE modules, and there is often limited time to teach RE in general, and interviews in particular. Therefore, SaPeer needs to be adapted to these constrained contexts, and adequately assessed. [Principal idea/Results] In this paper, we present the application of SaPeer to a low-resource context. We tailor the approach to a one-week group assignment, involving one tutor only, and we apply it to a class of 24 students. By comparing our results with the original study, we find that students struggle in similar areas, and especially in question omission and planning. A qualitative analysis of the feedback of the students shows the appreciation for the interview experience, and offers specific recommendations for improving the educational material. [Contribution] We contribute to the literature in REET with the first tailored application of SaPeer. Our study extends the scope of SaPeer and offers the possibility of adopting it in other constrained contexts.