Empirical Methods in Software Engineering (ESE)
1/2. Semester
5 ECTS | 4 SWS
Continuous Assessment (CA)
Study Software and its Development Systematically: Plan and evaluate empirical studies in software engineering, formulate hypotheses, collect and analyze data, and critically interpret research findings using sound scientific methods.
Contents
- Definition of fundamental terms and classification of empirical/experimental software engineering
- Approach to empirical studies (including experiments, case studies, surveys)
- Formulation of research questions and hypotheses
- Design of empirical studies
- Data collection (operationalization and measurement), validation, and analysis
- Result interpretation
- Reporting
- Empirical modeling and its use in the software development process
- Examples of specific empirical studies
Competencies
Students are able to
- explain the planning and execution of empirical studies in software engineering using examples,
- understand and explain the various types of threats to the validity of empirical studies, as well as measures to prevent them,
- justify the selection of appropriate empirical methods for investigating questions and testing hypotheses in application and research contexts,
- explain the conduct of hypothesis tests using inferential statistics,
- critically evaluate publications or empirical studies,
- explain the contribution of empirically-oriented approaches to the systematic improvement of software product/process models.
Literature
- N. Juristo, and A. Moreno, Basics of Software Engineering Experimentation, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2001.
- B. Boehm, D. Rombach, and M. Zelkowitz (Eds), Foundations of Empirical Software Engineering, Legacy of Victor R. Basili. Springer Berlin Heidelberg New York, 2005.
- P. Runeson et al., Case study research in software engineering: Guidelines and examples. John Wiley & Sons, 2012.
- V. Basili, A. Trendowics, M. Kowalczyk, J. Heidrich, C. Seaman, J. Münch, and D. Rombach, Aligning Organizations Through Measurement. The GQM+Strategies Approach. Springer, 2014.
- H. C. Kraemer and C. Blasey. How many subjects? Statistical power analysis in research. Sage publications, 2016.
- C. Wohlin, P. Runeson, M. Höst, M. C. Ohlsson, B. Regnell, and A. Wesslén, Experimentation in Software Engineering. Springer, 2024.
- M. Felderer and G. H. Travassos, Contemporary empirical methods in software engineering. Vol. 1286. Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany: Springer, 2020.
- E. Perjons and P. Johannesson, An Introduction to Design Science. Springer Nature, 2022.
- D. Mendez et al., Handbook on Teaching Empirical Software Engineering. Springer, 2025.
Lecturer
Recommended Previous Knowledge
Module Details
| Semester |
1/2 |
| Lecture Language |
German and English |
|
Frequency
|
Summer Term
|
| Credit Points (ECTS)
|
5 |
| Course Coordinator |
Prof. Dr. Peter Knauber |
| Duration |
1 Semester |
| Study Focus |
Software Engineering (SE)
|
|
Course Achievement
|
None |
|
Prerequisite for exam
|
None |
|
Exam
|
Continuous Assessment (CA) |
Weekly Hours (SWS)
| Lecture |
3 SWS |
| Exercises |
1 SWS |
| Sum |
4 SWS |
Work Load
| Lecture |
60 h |
| Self Study |
60 h |
| Assignments |
30 h |
| Sum |
150 h |
