Identifying Problems that Impact on Ease of Use and Learnability of the SSP-Edu

• Leo Natan Paschoal University of São Paulo https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1076-9174
• Flávia de Souza Santos Universidade de São Paulo
• João Paulo Biazotto University of São Paulo
• Ana Caroline Fernandes Spengler University of São Paulo
• Renata Pontin de Mattos Fortes University of São Paulo

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5753/cbie.sbie.2020.1643

Abstract

The CPU scheduling education through traditional pedagogical strategies is not trivial for an undergraduate student of Computing; hence the establishment of support mechanisms for teaching is encouraged. The SSP—Edu is a simulator that intends to support the CPU Scheduling Algorithm education and is available for open access. Previous studies describe that this simulator improves students’ knowledge, however, verifying the ease of learning the interface can be a factor that influences this process. In this sense, it is essential to check the usability problems of the simulator interface, which hinders learnability. A method that aims to identify problems that cause difficulties in ease of use is the Cognitive Walkthrough. In this article, this method is used to inspect the SSP—Edu. From the inspection, 30 problems were identified, which need to be solved before this simulator is used in the classroom. In order to contribute to the theme, in the results, directions are suggested to promote improvements in the interface of this teaching support mechanism.

Keywords: Computing Education, CPU Scheduling, Usability Inspection

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