Call For Papers: AST 2010 Co-located with ACM/IEEE ICSE 2010
Gregory M. Kapfhammer
AST 2010
Fifth International Workshop on Automation of Software Test
http://www.cs.allegheny.edu/ast2010/
Cape Town, South Africa, 3-4 May 2010
part of ACM/IEEE ICSE 2010 (http://www.sbs.co.za/ICSE2010/)
Special Theme Charette Discussion: Integration Testing
Special Session: Business and Industrial Case Studies
IMPORTANT DATES
===============
Submission deadline: 20 January 2010
Notification of acceptance: 15 February 2010
Camera ready version: 3 March 2010
Workshop dates: 3-4 May 2010
In software development practice, testing can account for as much as
50% of the total development effort. It is therefore imperative to
reduce the cost and improve the effectiveness of software testing by
automating the testing process. In the past decades, a great amount
of research effort has been spent on automatic test case generation,
automatic test oracles, etc. Test automation is also becoming an
important part of software testing practice.
The workshop is the successor of the first four AST workshops held at
ICSE 2006-2009. It will give researchers and practitioners a forum for
exchanging ideas, experiences, understanding of the challenges,
visions for the future, and promising solutions to the problems. The
workshop will also provide a platform for researchers and developers
to work together to identify the problems in the theory and practice
of software test automation, which sets an agenda and lays the
foundation for future development.
TOPICS OF INTEREST
==================
The workshop focuses on bridging the gap between the theories and
practice of software test automation. The topics of interest include,
but are not limited to, the following:
1) Methodology: Software test automation in the context of various
software development methodologies, such as in model-driven,
component-based, agile, test-driven, product-lines,
service-oriented, agent-oriented, evolutionary, and aspect-oriented
methodologies.
2) Technology Development and Transfer: Automation of test techniques
and methods used in test-related activities, support for software
testing methods, and applications to specific types of software in
different domains.
3) Software Testing Tools and Environments: Issues in the development,
operation, maintenance and evolution of software testing tools and
environments.
4) External Confirmation: Empirical studies and experience reports
that evaluate different facets of software test automation and
highlight their fundamental trade-offs.
This year, the charette discussion focuses on Integration Testing and
submissions on this topic are especially encouraged, but papers on
other topics are also welcome.
CHARETTE DISCUSSION: INTEGRATION TESTING
========================================
The workshop continues the successful charette discussions of the
previous year by focusing on Integration Testing. Integration testing
aims to expose faults due to component interactions, such as the
mismatch of the interfaces between those components. It can be applied
to different integration steps at various granularities. The
discussion sessions provide opportunities for attendees to identify
the key aspects of integration testing that are worth research efforts
in the near future, to envision the approaches to handle these
aspects, and to form collaborations aimed at addressing the identified
problems effectively.
BUSINESS AND INDUSTRIAL CASE STUDIES
====================================
There will also be an "Business and Industrial Case Studies" session
at the workshop, with shorter presentations reporting the real state
of the practice in the automation of software testing. Test
practitioners are especially encouraged to contribute their
experiences and insights on test automation through this session.
Topics for this session include, but are not limited to, the
following: new tools, new best practices, process innovations related
to test automation, gaps in existing vendor toolsets, ideas and
visions for near-term research work.
POSTER SESSION
==============
Posters shall present late-breaking results, works in progress, and
challenges associated with automated testing of real world software
systems. The poster session helps improve interactions and facilitate
networking among attendees. This enables opportunities to engage in
deeper discussions of your research.
SUBMISSIONS
===========
Four types of submission are invited: research papers, case study
papers, case study presentations, and posters. Research papers report
research and practical experience in the area of software test
automation. Both long (up to 8 pages) and short (up to 4 pages) papers
are welcomed.
Submissions in the case study category may be either a short paper
with no more than 4 pages or a slide presentation with no more than 15
slides printed by two slides per page. Case study papers and
presentations must report on practical applications of test
automation.
All papers submitted to the workshop must be unpublished original work
and must not have been submitted anywhere else for publication. The
paper submissions must be in English and conform to the ACM SIG
conference proceedings format. Posters must be in DIN A0 format. All
submissions must be submitted in either PDF or postscript format
through online upload to the workshop paper submission website.
All submissions will be reviewed by at least three PC members, but
using different criteria. Research papers will be judged on the basis
of their clarity, relevance, originality, and contribution. Case study
papers, presentations, and posters will be judged based on their
clarity, relevance, and interest to the workshop attendees.
PUBLICATION OF PAPERS
=====================
The accepted workshop papers, including both research and case study
papers, will be published in the ICSE 2010 Conference Proceedings
Volume II in the ACM Digital Library. Workshop attendees will receive
a memory stick with both proceedings volumes on it. Slide
presentations and posters will be published on the AST 2010 website.
Authors of accepted papers and posters are required to register for
the workshop and present their contributions at the workshop in order
for their contributions to be published.
Authors of the selected best papers will be invited to extend their
papers for possible inclusion in a special issue/section of Software
Quality Journal, Springer. Each paper in the special issue/section
must include at least 30% new technical materials, and its overall
quality must meet the standard of the journal.
Workshop Organization
=====================
Co-Chairs
---------
Prof. Wing-Kwong Chan
City University of Hong Kong
Tat Chee Avenue, Hong Kong
Dr. Christof J. Budnik
Siemens Corporation
Corporate Research
755 College Road East
Princeton, NJ, USA
Prof. Gregory M. Kapfhammer
Department of Computer Science
Allegheny College
Meadville, PA, USA
Steering Committee
------------------
Prof. Hong Zhu
Oxford Brookes University, UK
Prof. Shing-chi Cheung
The Hong Kong University of
Science and Technology,
Hong Kong
Dr. Jenny Li
Avaya Research, USA
Prof. Fevzi Belli
Paderborn University, Germany
Prof. W. Eric Wong
University of Texas at Dallas, USA
Dr. Steve Masticola
Siemens Corporation,
Corporate Research, USA
Please see workshop website for more details about the event and the
listing of the AST Program Committee (http://www.cs.allegheny.edu/ast2010/).