Software Testing and Quality Assurance

General Description

• validation (appropriate functionality, fit for use, "doing the right thing"),
• verification (correct implementation, "doing the things right"),
• assessment (data collection, analysis and modeling),

• black box or functional testing,
• clear box or structural testing,
• usage-based statistical testing.

The rest of the class time will be devoted to the following topics:

• general concepts about quality,
• other alternatives to testing, including, defect prevention, inspection, formal verification, and fault tolerance and safety assurance,
• quality analysis, including, quality models and measurements, defect analysis, risk identification and software reliability engineering.

Graduate students (those enrolled in CSE 7314 or via NTU) are required to write a short essay about software quality practice and provide a project summary. (Undergraduate students enrolled in CSE 5314 are not required to do these.)

Textbook and Class Material

• Required textbook: None for now. Some material from the following upcoming book will be used and made avaible to students.
  "Software Quality Engineering: Testing, Quality Assurance, and Quantifiable Improvement" by Jeff Tian, John Wiley, 2005.
• Required: Course notes, with papers to be covered, class notes/slides/etc.
• Recommended textbook: "Solid Software", by Shari Lawrence Pfleeger, Les Hatton and Charles C. Howell, Prentice-Hall, 2004 ISBN# 0-13-091298-0
• Recommended textbook: "Critical Testing Processes" by Rex Black, Addison-Wesley, 2004, ISBN# 0-201-74868-1
• Recommended textbook: "Software Reliability Engineering", by John Musa, McGraw-Hill, 1998. ISBN# 0-07-913271-5.
• Online information and selected class material will be available at www.engr.smu.edu/~tian/class/7314.04f.

Workload and Grading

List of Topics and Tentative Schedule

• Notice 1: All the due dates listed below are for in-class students. We have a standard 13 day grace period for video/NTU students to turn in their work (post-mark/e-mail by the dates 13 days from corresponding due dates for in-class students).
• Notice 2: If you need to make alternative arrangements for turning-in material or taking exams because of tape delays/health reasons/etc., you must contact the instructor ahead of time and get an extension. (Otherwise you'll receive 0 for the specific item.)
• Notice 3 (Relevant SMU policies):
  * Disability Accommodations: Students needing academic accommodations for a disability must first contact Ms. Rebecca Marin, Coordinator, Services for Students with Disabilities (214-768-4557) to verify the disability and establish eligibility for accommodations. They should then schedule an appo intment with the professor to make appropriate arrangements. (See University Policy No. 2.4.)
  * Religious Observance: Religiously observant students wishing to be absent on holidays that require missing class should notify their professors in writing at the beginning of the semester, and should discuss with them, in advance, acceptable ways of making up any work missed because of the absence. (See University Policy No. 1.9.)
  * Excused Absences for University Extracurricular Activities: Students participating in an officially sanctioned, scheduled University extracurricular activity should be given the opportunity to make up class assignments or other graded assignments missed as a result of their participation. It is the responsibility of the student to make arrangements with the instructor prior to any missed scheduled examination or other missed assignment for making up the work. (University Undergraduate Catalogue)