Flip for not flopping! Evaluating Gamified Flipped Classes in Software Engineering
Abstract
Teaching Software Engineering presents challenges for promote practical skills through hands-on activities. This study reports an experiment combining the Flipped Classroom approach with gamification techniques in SE education. Conducted over eight months in a hybrid teaching setting, the quasicontrolled experiment involved 111 technical and undergraduate students. Two FC models—with and without gamification—were compared based on student perceptions and learning outcomes across 18 lessons. Results indicate that gamification increased motivation and effort, especially among technical students, and enhanced skill development in undergraduates. The findings suggest the model’s potential for broader use, including in face-to-face lab-based settings.References
Akçayır, G. and Akçayır, M. (2018). The flipped classroom: A review of its advantages and challenges. Computers & Education, 126:334–345.
Álvarez, J. J. M., Ortíz-Colón, A. M., Montoro, M. A., Molina Álvarez, J., AM, O. C., Agreda Montoro, M., et al. (2017). Análisis de la integración de procesos gamificados en educación primaria. Innovación docente y uso de las TIC en eduación: CD-ROM, page 12.
Araújo, P., Costa, C., Viana, W., de Lima Veras, N., and Farias, E. J. (2020). Automatic personalisation of study guides in flipped classroom: A case study in a distributed systems course. In 2020 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), pages 1–9. IEEE.
Araujo, P., Viana, W., Veras, N., and de Castro Filho, J. A. (2018). Aprendizagem adaptativa em aulas invertidas de sistemas distribuídos: um estudo de caso apoiado no g suite. In Brazilian Symposium on Computers in Education (Simpósio Brasileiro de Informática na Educação-SBIE), volume 29, page 328.
Araujo, P., Viana, W., Veras, N., Farias, E. J., and de Castro Filho, J. A. (2019). Exploring students perceptions and performance in flipped classroom designed with adaptive learning techniques: A study in distributed systems courses. In Brazilian Symposium on Computers in Education (Simpósio Brasileiro de Informática na Educação-SBIE), volume 30, page 219.
Attali, Y. and Arieli-Attali, M. (2015). Gamification in assessment: Do points affect test performance? Computers & Education, 83:57–63.
Bergmann, J. and Sams, A. (2012). Flip your classroom: Reach every student in every class every day. International society for technology in education.
Bozkurt, A. and Sharma, R. C. (2020). Emergency remote teaching in a time of global crisis due to coronavirus pandemic. Asian Journal of Distance Education, 15(1):i–vi.
Cheng-lin, H. and Jian-wei, C. (2016). A target design of a mobile app providing supportive service for flipped classroom. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 6(1):27.
Costa, R., Júnior, A. C., and Gadelha, B. (2021). Apoiando a revisão por pares no ensino remoto de modelagem de software. In Anais do Simpósio Brasileiro de Educação em Computação, pages 352–361. SBC.
Ekici, M. (2021). A systematic review of the use of gamification in flipped learning. Education and Information Technologies, 26(3):3327–3346.
Erdogmus, H. and Péraire, C. (2017). Flipping a graduate-level software engineering foundations course. In 2017 IEEE/ACM 39th International Conference on Software Engineering: Software Engineering Education and Training Track (ICSE-SEET), pages 23–32. IEEE.
Gannod, G. C., Burge, J. E., and Helmick, M. T. (2008). Using the inverted classroom to teach software engineering. In Proceedings of the 30th international conference on Software engineering, pages 777–786.
González-Morales, D., De Antonio, L. M. M., and García, J. L. R. (2011). Teaching “soft” skills in software engineering. In 2011 ieee global engineering education conference (educon), pages 630–637. IEEE.
Hamari, J., Koivisto, J., and Sarsa, H. (2014). Does gamification work?–a literature review of empirical studies on gamification. In 2014 47th Hawaii international conference on system sciences, pages 3025–3034. Ieee.
Harris, B. F., Harris, J., Reed, L., and Zelihic, M. M. (2016). Flipped classroom: Another tool for your pedagogy tool box. In Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning: Proceedings of the Annual ABSEL conference, volume 43.
Herold, M., Bolinger, J., Ramnath, R., Bihari, T., and Ramanathan, J. (2011). Providing end-to-end perspectives in software engineering. In 2011 Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), pages S4B–1. IEEE.
Hodges, C., Moore, S., Lockee, B., Trust, T., Bond, A., et al. (2020). The difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning. Educause review, 27:1–12.
John, I. and Fertig, T. (2022). Gamification for software engineering students-an experience report. In 2022 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON), pages 1942–1947. IEEE.
Johnson, P., Port, D., and Hill, E. (2016). An athletic approach to software engineering education. In 2016 IEEE 29th International Conference on Software Engineering Education and Training (CSEET), pages 8–17. IEEE.
Kiryakova, G., Angelova, N., and Yordanova, L. (2014). Gamification in education. Proceedings of 9th International Balkan Education and Science Conference.
Krathwohl, D. R. (2002). A revision of bloom’s taxonomy: An overview. Theory into practice, 41(4):212–218.
Lima, T. and Carvalho, W. (2021). Aulas invertidas e práticas lúdicas no ensino de redes de computadores. In Anais do Simpósio Brasileiro de Educação em Computação, pages 211–218, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil. SBC.
Lin, Y.-N., Hsia, L.-H., and Hwang, G.-J. (2021). Promoting pre-class guidance and in-class reflection: A sqirc-based mobile flipped learning approach to promoting students’ billiards skills, strategies, motivation and self-efficacy. Computers & Education, 160:104035.
Matalonga, S., Mousqués, G., and Bia, A. (2017). Deploying team-based learning at undergraduate software engineering courses. In 2017 IEEE/ACM 1st International Workshop on Software Engineering Curricula for Millennials (SECM), pages 9–15. IEEE.
Matsumoto, T. et al. (2016). The flipped classroom experience of gamified. Creative Education, 7(10):1475.
Maxim, B., Limbaugh, T., and Yackley, J. (2022). Socially distant active learning and student engagement in software engineering courses. In 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition.
Olivindo, M., Veras, N., Viana, W., Cortés, M., and Rocha, L. (2021). Gamifying flipped classes: An experience report in software engineering remote teaching. In Brazilian Symposium on Software Engineering, pages 143–152.
Paschoal, L. N., Oliveira, M. M., Melo, S. M., Barbosa, E. F., and Souza, S. R. (2020). Evaluating the impact of software testing education through the flipped classroom model in deriving test requirements. In Proceedings of the 34th Brazilian Symposium on Software Engineering, pages 570–579.
Roehl, A., Reddy, S. L., and Shannon, G. J. (2013). The flipped classroom: An opportunity to engage millennial students through active learning strategies. Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences, 105(2):44–49.
Sailer, M. and Sailer, M. (2021). Gamification of in-class activities in flipped classroom lectures. British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(1):75–90.
Souza, B., Veras, N., Olivindo, M., Mendes, E., Rocha, L., and Viana, W. (2022). Ensino invertido de estrutura de dados no contexto do ensino remoto emergencial. In Anais do II Simpósio Brasileiro de Educação em Computação, pages 77–87, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil. SBC.
Trinta, F., Rego, P. A., and Viana, W. (2020). Teaching development of distributed software during covid-19: An experience report in brazil. In Proceedings of the 34th Brazilian Symposium on Software Engineering, pages 616–625.
Veras, N. L., Rocha, L. S., and Viana, W. (2020). Flipped classroom in software engineering: A systematic mapping study. In Proceedings of the 34th Brazilian Symposium on Software Engineering, pages 720–729.
Verne, J. (2013). Around the World in 80 Days-The 1874 Play. BearManor Media.
Villegas-Ch, W., García-Ortiz, J., Román-Cañizares, M., and Sánchez-Viteri, S. (2021). Proposal of a remote education model with the integration of an ict architecture to improve learning management. PeerJ Computer Science, 7:e781.
Wohlin, C., Runeson, P., Höst, M., Ohlsson, M. C., Regnell, B., and Wesslén, A. (2012). Experimentation in software engineering. Springer Science & Business Media.
Zhao, J., Hwang, G.-J., Chang, S.-C., Yang, Q.-f., and Nokkaew, A. (2021). Effects of gamified interactive e-books on students’ flipped learning performance, motivation, and meta-cognition tendency in a mathematics course. Educational Technology Research and Development, 69(6):3255–3280.
Álvarez, J. J. M., Ortíz-Colón, A. M., Montoro, M. A., Molina Álvarez, J., AM, O. C., Agreda Montoro, M., et al. (2017). Análisis de la integración de procesos gamificados en educación primaria. Innovación docente y uso de las TIC en eduación: CD-ROM, page 12.
Araújo, P., Costa, C., Viana, W., de Lima Veras, N., and Farias, E. J. (2020). Automatic personalisation of study guides in flipped classroom: A case study in a distributed systems course. In 2020 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), pages 1–9. IEEE.
Araujo, P., Viana, W., Veras, N., and de Castro Filho, J. A. (2018). Aprendizagem adaptativa em aulas invertidas de sistemas distribuídos: um estudo de caso apoiado no g suite. In Brazilian Symposium on Computers in Education (Simpósio Brasileiro de Informática na Educação-SBIE), volume 29, page 328.
Araujo, P., Viana, W., Veras, N., Farias, E. J., and de Castro Filho, J. A. (2019). Exploring students perceptions and performance in flipped classroom designed with adaptive learning techniques: A study in distributed systems courses. In Brazilian Symposium on Computers in Education (Simpósio Brasileiro de Informática na Educação-SBIE), volume 30, page 219.
Attali, Y. and Arieli-Attali, M. (2015). Gamification in assessment: Do points affect test performance? Computers & Education, 83:57–63.
Bergmann, J. and Sams, A. (2012). Flip your classroom: Reach every student in every class every day. International society for technology in education.
Bozkurt, A. and Sharma, R. C. (2020). Emergency remote teaching in a time of global crisis due to coronavirus pandemic. Asian Journal of Distance Education, 15(1):i–vi.
Cheng-lin, H. and Jian-wei, C. (2016). A target design of a mobile app providing supportive service for flipped classroom. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 6(1):27.
Costa, R., Júnior, A. C., and Gadelha, B. (2021). Apoiando a revisão por pares no ensino remoto de modelagem de software. In Anais do Simpósio Brasileiro de Educação em Computação, pages 352–361. SBC.
Ekici, M. (2021). A systematic review of the use of gamification in flipped learning. Education and Information Technologies, 26(3):3327–3346.
Erdogmus, H. and Péraire, C. (2017). Flipping a graduate-level software engineering foundations course. In 2017 IEEE/ACM 39th International Conference on Software Engineering: Software Engineering Education and Training Track (ICSE-SEET), pages 23–32. IEEE.
Gannod, G. C., Burge, J. E., and Helmick, M. T. (2008). Using the inverted classroom to teach software engineering. In Proceedings of the 30th international conference on Software engineering, pages 777–786.
González-Morales, D., De Antonio, L. M. M., and García, J. L. R. (2011). Teaching “soft” skills in software engineering. In 2011 ieee global engineering education conference (educon), pages 630–637. IEEE.
Hamari, J., Koivisto, J., and Sarsa, H. (2014). Does gamification work?–a literature review of empirical studies on gamification. In 2014 47th Hawaii international conference on system sciences, pages 3025–3034. Ieee.
Harris, B. F., Harris, J., Reed, L., and Zelihic, M. M. (2016). Flipped classroom: Another tool for your pedagogy tool box. In Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning: Proceedings of the Annual ABSEL conference, volume 43.
Herold, M., Bolinger, J., Ramnath, R., Bihari, T., and Ramanathan, J. (2011). Providing end-to-end perspectives in software engineering. In 2011 Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), pages S4B–1. IEEE.
Hodges, C., Moore, S., Lockee, B., Trust, T., Bond, A., et al. (2020). The difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning. Educause review, 27:1–12.
John, I. and Fertig, T. (2022). Gamification for software engineering students-an experience report. In 2022 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON), pages 1942–1947. IEEE.
Johnson, P., Port, D., and Hill, E. (2016). An athletic approach to software engineering education. In 2016 IEEE 29th International Conference on Software Engineering Education and Training (CSEET), pages 8–17. IEEE.
Kiryakova, G., Angelova, N., and Yordanova, L. (2014). Gamification in education. Proceedings of 9th International Balkan Education and Science Conference.
Krathwohl, D. R. (2002). A revision of bloom’s taxonomy: An overview. Theory into practice, 41(4):212–218.
Lima, T. and Carvalho, W. (2021). Aulas invertidas e práticas lúdicas no ensino de redes de computadores. In Anais do Simpósio Brasileiro de Educação em Computação, pages 211–218, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil. SBC.
Lin, Y.-N., Hsia, L.-H., and Hwang, G.-J. (2021). Promoting pre-class guidance and in-class reflection: A sqirc-based mobile flipped learning approach to promoting students’ billiards skills, strategies, motivation and self-efficacy. Computers & Education, 160:104035.
Matalonga, S., Mousqués, G., and Bia, A. (2017). Deploying team-based learning at undergraduate software engineering courses. In 2017 IEEE/ACM 1st International Workshop on Software Engineering Curricula for Millennials (SECM), pages 9–15. IEEE.
Matsumoto, T. et al. (2016). The flipped classroom experience of gamified. Creative Education, 7(10):1475.
Maxim, B., Limbaugh, T., and Yackley, J. (2022). Socially distant active learning and student engagement in software engineering courses. In 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition.
Olivindo, M., Veras, N., Viana, W., Cortés, M., and Rocha, L. (2021). Gamifying flipped classes: An experience report in software engineering remote teaching. In Brazilian Symposium on Software Engineering, pages 143–152.
Paschoal, L. N., Oliveira, M. M., Melo, S. M., Barbosa, E. F., and Souza, S. R. (2020). Evaluating the impact of software testing education through the flipped classroom model in deriving test requirements. In Proceedings of the 34th Brazilian Symposium on Software Engineering, pages 570–579.
Roehl, A., Reddy, S. L., and Shannon, G. J. (2013). The flipped classroom: An opportunity to engage millennial students through active learning strategies. Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences, 105(2):44–49.
Sailer, M. and Sailer, M. (2021). Gamification of in-class activities in flipped classroom lectures. British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(1):75–90.
Souza, B., Veras, N., Olivindo, M., Mendes, E., Rocha, L., and Viana, W. (2022). Ensino invertido de estrutura de dados no contexto do ensino remoto emergencial. In Anais do II Simpósio Brasileiro de Educação em Computação, pages 77–87, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil. SBC.
Trinta, F., Rego, P. A., and Viana, W. (2020). Teaching development of distributed software during covid-19: An experience report in brazil. In Proceedings of the 34th Brazilian Symposium on Software Engineering, pages 616–625.
Veras, N. L., Rocha, L. S., and Viana, W. (2020). Flipped classroom in software engineering: A systematic mapping study. In Proceedings of the 34th Brazilian Symposium on Software Engineering, pages 720–729.
Verne, J. (2013). Around the World in 80 Days-The 1874 Play. BearManor Media.
Villegas-Ch, W., García-Ortiz, J., Román-Cañizares, M., and Sánchez-Viteri, S. (2021). Proposal of a remote education model with the integration of an ict architecture to improve learning management. PeerJ Computer Science, 7:e781.
Wohlin, C., Runeson, P., Höst, M., Ohlsson, M. C., Regnell, B., and Wesslén, A. (2012). Experimentation in software engineering. Springer Science & Business Media.
Zhao, J., Hwang, G.-J., Chang, S.-C., Yang, Q.-f., and Nokkaew, A. (2021). Effects of gamified interactive e-books on students’ flipped learning performance, motivation, and meta-cognition tendency in a mathematics course. Educational Technology Research and Development, 69(6):3255–3280.
Published
2025-07-20
How to Cite
VERAS, Necio; OLIVINDO, Mayara; VIANA, Windson; ROCHA, Lincoln.
Flip for not flopping! Evaluating Gamified Flipped Classes in Software Engineering. In: WORKSHOP ON COMPUTING EDUCATION (WEI), 33. , 2025, Maceió/AL.
Anais [...].
Porto Alegre: Sociedade Brasileira de Computação,
2025
.
p. 618-630.
ISSN 2595-6175.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5753/wei.2025.8402.
