Challenges to Applying Role Playing in Software Engineering Education: A Taxonomy Derived from a Rapid Literature Review

Role Playing (RP) serves as an instructional approach to enrich the learning experience for students and boost their learning by the effective application of their theoretical knowledge within a practical context. In Software Engineering Education (SEE), the utilization of RP proves beneficial in fostering the development of skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, and critical thinking among students and aids them in comprehending the intricacies and hurdles inherent in software development, instilling the significance of collaborative efforts and effective communication. To use role playing effectively, SEE teachers need to understand the challenges that arise from using it. This paper presents a taxonomy, resulting from the analysis of a rapid review developed to identify these challenges: a thorough review of relevant articles indexed by well-known digital libraries (Web of Science, Scopus, and IEEE Xplore) which, after inclusion/exclusion criteria, yielded a total of 23 papers. This taxonomy provides an organized structure for understanding the challenges in implementing Role Playiing (RP) activities in the context of Software Engineering Education (SEE).