Agile CS1 labs: Extreme Programming practices in an introductory programming course

Abstract

Many students begin to form their software development habits in introductory programming courses. Although problem-solving strategies and other good practices are taught at the introductory level, early experiences in programming tend to involve small assignments and so students do not always see the benefits and value of good software engineering practices. Consequently, they develop habits which are hard to break later when faced with significant problems where good practices are essential for success. Furthermore, students report that typical CS1 lab experiences tend to be unsatisfactory and even irrelevant. In order to give the students early meaningful experiences in developing good habits using a software engineering methodology which fits the limited time-constraints of the academic environment, eXtreme Programming (XP) was employed for the lab portion of a second semester CS1 course. This paper describes how XP practices were incorporated into a semester-long project where classes met once a week in a closed lab. Specific affective objectives were also introduced which were measured quantitatively and qualitatively. This paper describes our methodology, assessment, results, and plans for improvement. © Springer-Verlag 2004.