The Impact of the GQM Framework on Software Engineering Exam Outcomes

Assessment is crucial in educational systems, particularly in Software Engineering (SE) programs, where fair and effective evaluations drive continuous improvement. The shift to student-centric methodologies has evolved assessment strategies to focus on aligning educational processes with students' developmental needs rather than merely measuring academic outputs. This paper adapts the Goal-Question-Metric (GQM) framework to enhance learning in software engineering education by linking educational goals, learning activities, and assessment methods. This approach specifies expected learning outcomes and integrates mechanisms for continuous improvement, aligning teaching strategies with student performance metrics. A systematic framework for course assessment using the GQM framework is presented, aligning assessment methods with Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) and Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) to ensure data-driven enhancements. To validate this approach, a template was introduced to assess the impact of a tailored GQM approach on the final exam outcomes of a software engineering course at King Abdulaziz University’s Department of Computer Science. A controlled experiment was conducted over two semesters with students from the CPCS 351 course. The control group, in the first semester, completed their finals without applying GQM, while the experimental group in the following semester employed a customized GQM framework. Statistical analyses, including ANOVA and Mann-Whitney U tests, were utilized to compare exam performance between the groups. Results indicated a significant improvement in the exam scores of the experimental group, thereby validating the effectiveness of the GQM framework in boosting academic performance through structured exam preparation and execution.

@article{Alnanih2024,
  title     = {The Impact of the GQM Framework on Software Engineering Exam Outcomes},
  journal   = {International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications},
  volume    = {15},
  number    = {10},
  year      = {2024},
  publisher = {The Science and Information Organization},
  author    = {Reem Abdulaziz Alnanih},
  doi       = {10.14569/IJACSA.2024.0151063},
  url       = {https://doi.org/10.14569/IJACSA.2024.0151063}
}