Model Driven Software Engineering in Education: A Multi-Case Study on Perception of Tools and UML

While several benefits of using models in software engineering have been observed in practice, the adoption of modeling remains low. Multiple challenges of using models, especially related to tools, have been reported both for industrial use and for education. However, there is a lack of systematic, empirical investigations of the challenges in modeling education and their relation to industrial challenges. Therefore, we conducted a multiple-case study with two cases, in the U.S and Sweden, focusing on students' perceptions towards tooling and UML in education. Our data collected from 369 student evaluation surveys, enriched with qualitative data, shows that the students' perception of modeling tools depends not only on the complexity of tools, but rather on multiple contextual factors, including tool characteristics, scope of course and project contents, nature of the required models, and the tools' role in generating executable artifacts. We conclude that there is a need for tailoring modeling tools for education beyond focusing on simplification and usability. Furthermore, due to the broad diversity within the modeling domain, there is a need for adapting the use of tools to the specific curriculum and course learning objectives.