Enhancing analytical classes with role‐playing debugging exercises

Abstract

This article presents a role‐playing activity designed to address a common challenge in analytical courses, where students rely on software outputs without fully understanding the underlying analytical concepts. The activity highlights the continued significance of human analysts in interpreting results, guiding analysis, and leveraging domain expertise, skills that persist as essential even with advancements in AI. The exercise simulates the software maintenance stage, requiring students to switch between user and developer roles to identify and fix software bugs. This structure promotes both technical proficiency and soft skill development, particularly in communication and collaborative problem‐solving. Student feedback, including qualitative reflections and quantitative survey results, demonstrated significant learning gains, with over 80% reporting improvements in analytical reasoning, debugging skills, and communication abilities. The activity aligns with Education 4.0 principles by promoting interdisciplinary collaboration, adaptive learning, and experiential engagement. The article concludes with practicl recommendations for integrating such activities into analytical coursework, emphasizing the importance of clear initial guidance and reflective debriefing to maximize learning outcomes.