Understanding Build Errors in Agile Software Development Project-Based Learning

Recently, various institutions have been conducting advanced programming education aimed at experiencing agile software development in the form of project-based learning (PBL). In the agile software development model, an essential part is the build process. In this study, we investigated students' build behaviors in agile software development PBL (SDPBL) by monitoring and collecting logs of the build process from 2013 to 2016. In our investigation, we collected two types of logs, the local build logs collected by each student's build in their own local programming environment, and remote build logs collected by any team member's commit in team repository. Based on our analysis of the build logs from 2013 to 2015, we found that the causes of remote build errors are related to both technical factors and communications among students in a team. In 2016, the instructors tried to educate to students the reason why the remote build error occur and how it can be resolved. As a result, in 2016, the number of remote build errors and the time required to solve the build errors decreased compared to previous years. It indicates a possibility that the student's comprehension of build error is effective on improving quality of software product and team development.