Unveiling Hurdles in Software Engineering Education: The Role of Learning Management Systems

Learning management systems (LMSs) are established tools in higher education, especially in the field of software engineering (SE). The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic further amplified the utilization of these systems, which necessitated their integration into educational curricula for both lecturers and students. However, adopting LMSs within SE education has presented distinctive challenges impeding their seamless incorporation into the courses. This paper aims to scrutinize the challenges and requirements encountered by professors, lecturers, and students in the domain of SE education when using LMSs. We conducted an empirical study that included (i) a survey with 47 professors/lecturers and 133 students, (ii) an analysis of the ensuing data, and (iii) 18 additional interviews conducted with professors and lecturers to delve into nuanced variations in viewpoints. The findings derived from our study reveal that the challenges and requirements pertaining to LMSs are rather specific depending on the scope and size of the respective courses. Nevertheless, many participants have a consensus on numerous challenges and requirements for improving certain features of LMSs in order to improve their usage in SE education. The findings are valuable for advancing research and development in the field of LMSs and provide guidance for lecturers in SE education.学习管理系统（Learning Management Systems, LMS）是高等教育领域的成熟教学工具，在软件工程（Software Engineering, SE）领域应用尤为广泛。新冠疫情的暴发进一步提升了这类系统的使用频次，也推动教师与学生必须将其纳入日常教学课程体系。然而，在软件工程教育场景中部署学习管理系统却面临诸多独特挑战，阻碍了其在课程中的无缝融入。本研究旨在剖析与梳理软件工程教育领域中，教授、讲师与学生在使用学习管理系统时所面临的各类挑战与需求。我们开展了一项实证研究，具体包含三部分内容：一是面向47名教授/讲师与133名学生开展问卷调查；二是对调研所得数据进行统计分析；三是额外针对18名教授与讲师开展访谈，以深入探究不同观点间的细微差异。本研究结果显示，与学习管理系统相关的挑战与需求，会因对应课程的范围与规模不同而呈现显著差异。尽管如此，多数调研参与者在优化学习管理系统特定功能以提升其在软件工程教育中的应用效果这一方面，就面临的挑战与核心需求达成了广泛共识。本研究结果对学习管理系统领域的研发工作具有积极推进价值，同时可为软件工程教育领域的教师提供实践指导。