From Code Smell to Clean Code: A Practical Experience in Teaching Refactoring for Software Maintenance

• João Teixeira do Nascimento UFC
• Caio Rian R. de Sousa UFC
• Lara Gabrielly Lima UFC
• Edivar C. Carvalho Filho UFC
• Guilherme P. Borges UFC
• Jacilane H. Rabelo UFC
• Carla Ilane Moreira Bezerra UFC

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5753/wei.2025.8463

Abstract

Teaching future Computer Science professionals to write high-quality code is essential. This work presents an experience report on teaching code smells and code refactoring in a software maintenance class with 42 students. Four aspects were analyzed: (i) students’ perception of refactoring quality, (ii) challenges faced in identifying and correcting code smells, (iii) skills developed and benefits gained through practice, and (iv) the most commonly used techniques in code smells refactoring. The results highlight the benefits of teaching code smells refactoring and propose a practical methodology for this instruction.

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