Computer Science Department

Schedule (Draft - Subject to Major Revision)

CS 514 Software Product and Process Evaluation, Fall 2013

Activities per week (subject to change as the semester progresses):

Week 1. Introduction to Software Product and Process Evaluation (August 26 - August 31, 2013):

1. Course overview.
2. Motivation.
3. Evaluation of software products, resources, and process.
4. Connections and controversy.
5. Evaluation and measurement.

• Reading:
  • Notes: N0 Course Overview, N1 Introduction to Software Product & Process Evaluation.
  • Text: Fenton & Pfleeger Ch. 1.
• Discussion: student and faculty introductions.
• Assignment A1: Measurement & software (problems). Due Sept. 4, 2013.

Week 2. Foundations of Measurement (Sept. 1 - 7):

1. Representation theory of measurement
2. Measurement models
3. Measurement scale types.
4. Meaningfulness.

• Reading:
  • Notes: N2 Foundations of Measurement.
  • Text: Fenton & Pfleeger Ch. 2.
• Quiz on reading. Start of week (before discussion).
• Discussion: Measurement theory
• Assignment A2: Foundations of measurement (problems). Due September 1, 2013.

Week 3. Foundations of Measurement (cont); Goals for Measurement (September 8 - September 14, 2013):.

1. Finish foundations.
2. Software measures classifications.
3. GQM
4. Applying measurement.
5. Software measurement validation.

• Reading:
  • Notes: N3 Measurement to Reach Goals.
  • Text: Fenton & Pfleeger Ch. 3.
• Quiz on reading. Start of week (before discussion).
• Discussion: Measurement Theory.
• Assignment: A3: Measurement goals problems. Due September 18, 2013.

Week 4. Goals for Measurement (cont) (September 15 - September 21):

1. Finish Goals.

• Quiz on reading.
• Discussion: GQM.

Week 5. Empirical Studies (September 22 - 28):

1. Empiricism in software engineering..
2. Study types.
3. Theories and hypotheses.
4. Study designs.
5. Data analysis.
6. Threats to validity..

• Reading:
  • Notes: N4 Empirical studies in software engineering.
  • Text: Fenton & Pfleeger Ch. 4 & 6.
• Quiz on reading.
• Discussion: Empirical studies --- hypothesis & theories.
• Assignment: A4. Experimental design. Due October 2.

Week 6. Data analysis (September 29 - October 5).

1. Example data analysis problems.

• Reading:
  • Notes: Class problems.
  • Text: Fenton & Pfleeger Ch. 6
• Quiz: data analysis.
• Discussion: data analysis.
• Assignment: A5 Data analysis. Due October 9.

Week 7. Internal and External Software (October 6 - 12):

1. Internal Software Quality.
2. External software quality.
3. Faults, failures, etc.
4. Usability, maintainability.

• Reading:
  • Notes N5 Internal and External Software Attributes.
  • Text: Fenton & Pfleeger Ch. 7, 8, 9.
• Discussion: internal quality issues.
• Quiz: internal software attributes.

Week 8. Software Testing Overview(October 13 - 19):

1. Intro to software testing.

• Reading:
  • Notes N6 External Software Quality; N7 Software Testing Overview.
  • White Box testing notes.
  • Amman and Offutt Ch. 1.
• Discussion: external attributes.
• Quiz: external software quality.
• Assignment: A6 Testing.

Week 9. Test Requirements and Graphs (October 20 - 26).

1. What is a test requirement?
2. Graphs and coverage.

• Reading:
  • Notes: N7 Software Testing Overview. Ammon and Offutt Notes.
  • Text: Ammon and Offutt Ch. 2.
• Quiz on reading.
• Discussion: Test Requirements.
• Assignment: A7.

Week 10. Test Requirements and Coverage (cont) (October 27 - November 2):

• Reading: Ammon and Offutt Ch. 2.
  • Notes: Ammon and Offut Ch. 2 notes; White Box Testing Notes.
• Quiz on reading.
• Discussion: White/Black Box testing.
• Assignment A8.

Week 11. Logic Coverage (November 3 - 9):

• Reading:
  • Text: Ammon and Offutt Ch. 3.
• Quiz on reading.
• Discussion: OO fault models
• Assignment: A9.

Week 12. Logic Coverage and OO Fault Models (November 10 - 16):

1. Finish Test Logic Coverage.
2. Begin Input Space Partitioning.

• Reading:
  • Notes: N7, N8, Test Models.
  • Text: Ammann and Offutt Ch. 3 and 4.
• Quiz on reading.
• Discussion: Test Models.
• Assignment: A10.

Week 13. Input Space Partitioning(November 10 - 16):

1. Input Space Partitioning.

• Reading:
  • Text: Ammann and Offutt Ch. 4.

Fall Break (November 18 - November 24).

Week 14. Testing OO Software Processes and Patterns (December 1 - 7):

• Reading:
  • Notes: N7 OO Fault Models, Ammon and Offutt notes on 7.1.
  • Text: Ammon and Offutt. 7.1.
• Quiz on reading.
• Discussion: Patterns.

Week 15. OO testing and Review (December 8 - 14):

1. OO Testing.
2. Review

• Discussion: Review.
• Assignment: A11 System Testing is due.

Final Exam Week (December 15 - 19).