Establishing a Mutation Testing Educational Module based on IMA-CID

Software testing is one of the most relevant activities regarding system development but, at the same time, it is a difficult topic to learn or teach without the appropriate supporting mechanisms. A learning process of software testing should involve the cooperation of theoretical and experimental knowledge with related tools in order to facilitate the apprenticeship of specific testing theories and skills. In previous works we investigated the establishment of supporting mechanisms for developing educational modules. The idea was contribute to the improvement of learning processes in general by producing quality educational products, capable of motivating the learners and effectively contribute to their knowledge construction process. In this paper we illustrate the application of our ideas in the context of software testing, more specifically by the development of an educational module for mutation testing. We consider mutation testing since it is a sound and powerful approach, but its use is still limited, mainly due to its high cost of application and, also, due to the need of an adequate learning process.