Software Engineering Courses Through the Lens of an Education Intelligence Tool

Abstract

In software engineering education, continuous evaluation of student progress and project outcomes plays a vital role in improving student performance and course design. This paper presents the development and application of the 'Education Intelligence (EI)' system, combining mining software repositories (MSR) techniques with data visualization and advanced analytical capabilities. Designed for software engineering courses, based on previous research and expert input, the developed dashboard provides visual analytics to track student engagement, repository contributions, and project management activities over time. Being deployed within the course of three academic years (2020-2023) at a large European university, detailed comparisons have been possible, contributing to a more refined and responsive educational approach. Findings revealed significant variations in performance and unexpected time commitments, uncovering previously unnoticed issues. The knowledge gained was then used to reduce time demands, distribute work more equally, and finally improve student outcomes. By integrating MSR and visual analytics, this paper highlights how EI contributes to a more adaptive, data-driven approach toward enhancing both student learning experiences and the overall quality of software engineering courses.