Challenges in Teaching Modeling in Agile Software Engineering Courses

Formal Model Driven Engineering (MDE) can be considered incongruent with Agile methodologies. However, with the advent of Agile, Software Engineering educators have an obligation to teach Agile development. Many instructors do so by employing experiential learning through Agile classrooms and projects. Teaching formal MDE and convincing students of its benefits can be challenging in such environments. In this paper, we discuss this position by considering established best practices in modeling education and their compatibility in Agile classrooms/projects. We argue that more than half the practices present some challenge in Agile environments, for which we provide initial suggestions. The most significant challenges are those pertaining to the MDE education practices of tailoring the MDE processes to participant knowledge and course context, defining the types of MDE artifacts before the project or course begins, and ensuring industrial relevance to prepare students for post-graduation. Discussion of these challenges at the symposium provided additional insights and suggestions, which we summarize in this paper. Notable suggestions include tailoring both the MDE and Agile processes to complement each other, employing a minimal set of MDE artifacts necessary for code generation, and having a large initial Agile iteration to form a realistic minimal viable product, respectively. We plan on applying these MDE educational best practices in our Agile course offerings, incorporating our initial suggestions and those from the symposium. Our goal is to stimulate discussion on these challenges and others, and help guide future research and course offerings.