Effectiveness of Video-based Training for Face-to-Face Communication Skills of Software Engineers: Evidence from a Three-Year Study

Objectives . Communication skills are crucial for effective software development teams, but those skills are difficult to teach. The goal of our project is to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching face-to-face communication skills using AVW-Space, a platform for video-based learning which provides personalized nudges to support student's engagement during video watching. Participants . The participants in our study are second-year software engineering students. The study was conducted over three years, with students enrolled in a semester-long project course. Study Method . We performed a quasi-experimental study over three years to teach face-to-face communication using AVW-Space, a video-based learning platform. We present the instance of AVW-Space we developed to teach face-to-face communication. Participants watched and commented on ten videos, and later commented on the recording of their own team meeting. In 2020, the participants (n = 50) did not receive nudges, and we use the data collected that year as control. In 2021 (n = 49) and 2022 (n = 48), nudges were provided adaptively, to encourage students to write more and higher-quality comments. Findings . The findings from the study show the effectiveness of nudges. We found significant differences in engagement when nudges were provided. Furthermore, there is a causal effect of nudges on the interaction time, the total number of comments written and the number of high-quality comments, as well as on learning. Finally, participants exposed to nudges reported higher perceived learning. Conclusions . Our research shows the effect of nudges on student engagement and learning while using the instance of AVW-Space for teaching face-to-face communication skills. Future work will explore other soft skills, as well as providing explanations for the decisions made by AVW-Space.