A Preliminary Report on Hands-On and Cross-Course Activities in a College Software Testing Course

This report presents numerous interventions deployed in a college-level course on software testing. The aim of these interventions was to increase interest, motivation, and confidence in software testing among computer science majors. Four hands-on in-class activities (Agile Airplane Testing, Test-Driven Development Activities, Candy Testing, and Bypass Testing) were deployed and are described. In addition, students in the course participated in a cross-course activity in which the students produced tests for younger peers in an introductory (CS2) software development course. Students in the software testing course acted as test engineers while students in the earlier course acted as developers and used the tests provided, interacting with their peers when necessary. Preliminary results are presented. Students generally found the activities to be useful, engaging, and provided positive feedback. Developers in the earlier software development course produced more correct code when using test suites provided by upperclassmen, and survey results show small but positive gains in student interest and confidence in software testing.