The traditional methods of testing both hardware and software
within a product's lifecycle has evolved into various methodologies,
some successful and others not so successful. These various strategies
have grown in importance and the traditional phases of coding and then
testing no longer have definitive boundaries. The traditional scenario
of “design”, code, and then “toss over the wall”
for testing is no longer applicable. Henry Cogswell College, has
responded to this importance of the testing process from industry in
information technology with a new course entitled CS 472, Software
Testing and Reliability. Prior to the introduction of this specialty
course, software testing was covered only in a software engineering
course. The goal of this course is to prepare students for software
testing management, testing considerations, designing for testing, and
exposure to these various methodologies. Various design techniques for
product reliability, quality assurance, and applying various testing
tools and methodologies are studied and applied in a classroom
environment. The end result is to achieve a product that is reliable,
effective, and produced at or under budget and also “on
time”. The application of automated test cases and the strengths
and weakness of synergistic applications are also explored