Extreme Programming in the University

Abstract—This paper summarises our experiences teaching Extreme Programming to undergraduate students over a period of 8 years. We describe an approach in which students learn about the Extreme Programming (XP) method by using it on real software development projects. This experiential learning technique has been effective in helping students understand how XP works in practice and helped them to develop the skills to reflect on their current approaches to software development and critically evaluate agile methods. Problems, including a steep learning curve for some XP practices and difficulties scheduling pair-programming time in a university environment are also identified. Keywords- Extreme Programming; learning, experience, education