This work presents a pedagogical proposal, in the context of game-based learning (GBL), that uses the concept of Transparency Pedagogy. As such, it aims to improve the quality of teaching, and the relationship between student, teacher and teaching methods. Transparency is anchored in the principle of information disclosure. In pedagogy, transparency emerges as an important issue that proposes to raise student awareness about the educational processes. Using GBL as an educational strategy we managed to make the game, a software, transparent. That is we made the inner processes of the game known to the students. As such, besides learning by playing, students had access to the game design, through intentional modeling. We collected evidence that, by disclosure of the information about the design, students better performed on learning software engineering.

This work presents an educational board and card game named SimulES-W, as a tool for teaching Software Engineering. It encompasses 5 years of evolution, in which the game Problems and Programmers was the fundamental source. SimulES-W innovates in three distinct areas: it is a web based game, it relies on a broad view of the software process and it is customizable for content. SimulES-W is supported by collaborative software that implements the SimulES board game. The paper describes the game, stresses its strong points, provides initial data on its use and discusses its future.