FSE 2025
Mon 23 - Fri 27 June 2025 Trondheim, Norway
co-located with ISSTA 2025
Tue 24 Jun 2025 14:40 - 15:00 at Aurora A - Process Chair(s): Trey Woodlief

Onboarding newcomers is vital for the sustainability of open-source software (OSS) projects. To lower barriers and increase engagement, OSS projects have dedicated experts who provide guidance for newcomers. However, timely responses are often hindered by experts’ busy schedules. The recent rapid advancements of AI in software engineering have brought opportunities to leverage AI as a substitute for expert mentoring. However, the potential role of AI as a comprehensive mentor throughout the entire onboarding process remains unexplored. To identify design strategies of this “AI mentor,” we applied Design Fiction as a participatory method with 19 OSS newcomers. We investigated their current onboarding experience and elicited 32 design strategies for future AI mentor. Participants envisioned AI mentor being integrated into OSS platforms like GitHub, where it could offer assistance to newcomers, such as “recommending projects based on personalized requirements” and “assessing and categorizing project issues by difficulty.” We also collected participants’ perceptions of a prototype, named “OSSerCopilot,” that implemented the envisioned strategies. They found the interface useful and user-friendly, showing a willingness to use it in the future, which suggests the design strategies are effective. Finally, in order to identify the gaps between our design strategies and current research, we conducted a comprehensive literature review, evaluating the extent of existing research support for this concept. We find that research is relatively scarce in certain areas where newcomers highly anticipate AI mentor assistance, such as “discovering an interested project.” Our study has the potential to revolutionize the current newcomer-expert mentorship and provides valuable insights for researchers and tool designers aiming to develop and enhance AI mentor systems.

Tue 24 Jun

Displayed time zone: Amsterdam, Berlin, Bern, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna change

14:00 - 15:30
ProcessIndustry Papers / Ideas, Visions and Reflections / Journal First / Research Papers at Aurora A
Chair(s): Trey Woodlief University of Virginia, United States
14:00
10m
Talk
Non-Knowledge as a New Lens on Software Engineering
Ideas, Visions and Reflections
Jacob Krüger Eindhoven University of Technology, Xenia Marlene Zerweck Harz University of Applied Sciences, Sol Martinez Demarco Harz University of Applied Sciences, Alena Bleicher Harz University of Applied Sciences, Thomas Leich Harz University of Applied Sciences, Germany
14:10
10m
Talk
To Co-locate or Not to Co-locate? On the Impact of Hybrid Work to Software Design Process
Ideas, Visions and Reflections
Tommi Mikkonen University of Jyvaskyla, Mahum Adil Free University of Bozen/Bolzano, Ilenia Fronza Free University of Bozen/Bolzano, Italy, Gennaro Iaccarino Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano, Petri Ihantola University of Jyväskylä
14:20
20m
Talk
“Ok Pal, we have to code that now”: Interaction Patterns of Programming Beginners with a Conversational Chatbot
Journal First
Alina Mailach Leipzig University, Dominik Gorgosch Chemnitz University of Technology, Norbert Siegmund Leipzig University, Janet Siegmund Chemnitz University of Technology
14:40
20m
Talk
Revolutionizing Newcomers' Onboarding Process in OSS Communities: The Future AI Mentor
Research Papers
Xin Tan Beihang University, Xiao Long , Yinghao Zhu Beihang University, Lin Shi Beihang University, Xiaoli Lian Beihang University, China, Li Zhang Beihang University
DOI Pre-print
15:00
20m
Talk
OurCode: Experiences Transitioning University Research into a Developer Tools Startup
Industry Papers
Consuelo Lopez OurCode Inc., Sahar Mehrpour George Mason University, USA, Austin Henley Carnegie Mellon University, Thomas LaToza George Mason University
15:20
10m
Talk
Polymer: Development Workflows as Software
Ideas, Visions and Reflections
Dhasarathy Parthasarathy Volvo Group, Yinan Yu Chalmers University of Technology, Earl T. Barr University College London

Information for Participants
Tue 24 Jun 2025 14:00 - 15:30 at Aurora A - Process Chair(s): Trey Woodlief
Info for room Aurora A:

Aurora A is the first room in the Aurora wing.

When facing the main Cosmos Hall, access to the Aurora wing is on the right, close to the side entrance of the hotel.

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