XQUEST used in software architecture education

Abstract

This paper describes the motivation and application of a Microsoft XNA extended library- XQUEST (XNA QUick & Easy Starter Template) in a software architecture course. Further, it presents the evaluation of the usability and usefulness of the XQUEST library in the context of a software architecture course. XQUEST was designed and implemented to save students' time in development projects offering flexible components. The evaluation was based on the survey of students questionnaires. Finally, the questionnaire results were analyzed in relation to three aspects: suitability, usefulness and usability. In many aspects, the results show that XQUEST enhances XNA in suitability as a teaching aid in software engineering learning, and can be a useful and helpful extension to understand XNA. The results also show that XQUEST is easy to use and save students time in development, thus giving students more time to focus on the practice of course theory.