Engaging Databases for Data Systems Education

Querying a relational database is typically taught in practice by using an exercise database. Such databases may be simple toy examples or elaborate and complex schemas that mimic the real world. Which of these are preferable for students is yet unknown. Research has shown that while more complex exercise databases may hinder learning, they also benefit student engagement, as more complex databases are seen as more realistic. In our mixed-methods study, we explore what aspects of an exercise database contribute to student engagement in database education. To gain insight into what students would deem engaging, we asked 56 students to design, implement, and reflect on engaging databases for database education. The results imply that students are engaged by highly diverse yet easily understood database business domains, relatively simple database structures, and conceivable yet seemingly realistic amounts of data. The results challenge some previous study results while supporting approaches found in some textbooks, and provide guidelines and inspiration for educators designing exercise databases for querying and introducing relational database concepts.