Universities: What Do The Academics Have To Say About Testing, And Why Should We Care? - Geoff Loken

Talk Description

Testing happens in computer labs, and at desks, and on mobile phones, and anywhere else with computers. Testing, like the broader field of software development, is a discipline grown by practitioners. It isn't the only place ideas develop. The lessons we learn testing filter their way into training courses and academic instruction, and likewise, researchers use those courses to pass ideas down to us, on the field.

This talk will discuss the current state of academia. How does it handle testing: what's missing, what's good, and what's bad. It will ask, "should we care," and talk about how we can make things better.

Takeaways: Participants will leave with a better understanding of what universities have to say about testing, and for many, a better understanding of how academic research works. They'll be thinking about how their ideas spread, and how we can contribute to a smarter world for testing.

By the end of this session, you'll be able to:

geoff

Geoff Loken has been in QA (or testing, if you prefer) for approximately ten years, and is currently serving as Quality Assurance Coordinator at Athabasca University. He holds a Master of Arts degree in History from the University of Regina, and is in the final stages of a Master of Science in Computing and Information Systems from Athabasca University. He lives happily in northern Alberta, but escapes once or twice a year to travel or talk at conferences. Find him on twitter @geoffloken