Storytelling and puzzles in a software engineering course

Abstract

Storytelling has been used from time immemorial as a powerful educational tool to exchange and propagate complex ideas. Similarly, puzzles have been known as stimulators of thinking and problem solving skills. Both storytelling and puzzles found their rightful place in primary and secondary education through the years. However, their value in higher education has only been recognized recently. This paper describes how these two educational aids can be used for motivating various concepts of software engineering.