Integrating Systems Thinking into Software Engineering Education: A Teaching Experience

Rodrigo Correa, Márcia Lima, Tayana Conte

2025

Abstract

Context: The rapid evolution of software engineering in response to the complex demands of the modern digital society has led to increased pressure on developers to adapt quickly. However, a pragmatic approach often overlooks the deeper theoretical foundations, which can result in inefficient software development practices. Systems Thinking (ST), particularly through Critical Systems Heuristics (CSH), offers a reflective and holistic approach to address these challenges, especially in the software requirements elicitation phase. Goal: This research aims to relate an experience of introducing Systems Thinking to undergraduate students using Critical Systems Heuristics as a support tool in a requirement elicitation process. Method: A mixed-methods educational experience was conducted with 36 undergraduate software engineering students. The students applied the CSH framework during an assignment on software requirements elicitation. The effectiveness of CSH was assessed through both quantitative measures (number and categorization of elicited requirements) and qualitative feedback (students’ perceptions and reflections). At the end of the project, we collected the students’ reflections about the application experience to gather students’ feedback Results: The application of CSH led to the elicitation of 372 total requirements, of which 25 were derived using the CSH framework. Students reported a positive impact on their overall understanding of the system but also highlighted challenges related to the complexity and time-consuming nature of the framework. Conclusion: The study demonstrates that the CSH framework can be a valuable tool in software requirements elicitation, aiding in the understanding the problem’s context and in the confirmation of requirements. While students acknowledged its benefits, they also recognized its limitations, suggesting that further refinement is needed for practical use. This experience contributes to the integration of Systems Thinking in software engineering education and offers insights into its potential and challenges.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Correa R., Lima M. and Conte T. (2025). Integrating Systems Thinking into Software Engineering Education: A Teaching Experience. In Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Computer Supported Education - Volume 1: CSEDU; ISBN 978-989-758-746-7, SciTePress, pages 547-554. DOI: 10.5220/0013366300003932

in Bibtex Style

@conference{csedu25,
author={Rodrigo Correa and Márcia Lima and Tayana Conte},
title={Integrating Systems Thinking into Software Engineering Education: A Teaching Experience},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Computer Supported Education - Volume 1: CSEDU},
year={2025},
pages={547-554},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0013366300003932},
isbn={978-989-758-746-7},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Computer Supported Education - Volume 1: CSEDU
TI - Integrating Systems Thinking into Software Engineering Education: A Teaching Experience
SN - 978-989-758-746-7
AU - Correa R.
AU - Lima M.
AU - Conte T.
PY - 2025
SP - 547
EP - 554
DO - 10.5220/0013366300003932
PB - SciTePress