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About BBST

Version 1.03--Jan 18, 2010

The BBST series is a set of online courses in black box software testing.

The Association for Software Testing is offering a series of online courses in software testing that are free or deeply discounted to our members.

It is the first time I took an online course. I had a prejudice against online courses but not any more. I learned a lot from the instructors and my peers in the class.
-- Satisfied Student

Format of Courses:

  • focuses on one primary topic;
  • lasts for four weeks;
  • includes video lectures, review questions, one or two labs or assignments, and a final exam;
  • requires students to submit their work for peer review and to peer review the work of their fellow students;
  • is designed to take about as much of your time as a 3-4 day commercial short course (24-32 hours, not counting the exam);

Some courses are prerequisites for others, but to the extent that we can arrange it, courses stand alone and complete their topic.

The initial set of courses enhance materials developed for software engineering students at Florida Institute of Technology. We split the university course into several week segments to make it more convenient for practitioners' schedules and to add depth to most sections. New courses under production feature work of additional instructors.

General Information:

  • These courses in software testing are available primarily to AST members, but non-members may take the courses for a modest fee.
  • We will accept up to 20 students on a first-come, first-served basis for each course offering.
  • Each AST course includes video lectures, quizzes, homework of various kinds, and a final exam. All of the homework, and the exam, are peer-reviewed. Every participant in the course reviews work submitted by other participants and provides feedback and suggests grades.
  • Each course lasts 3 weeks, plus 1 additional week for the exam. You should expect to spend at least 8 hours per week on the course. If you cannot dedicate this much time, please allow someone else to take the course instead.
  • To take the course, you MUST agree to three policies:
  • The Informed Consent and the Intellectual Property policy reflect the fact that while we teach these courses, we are doing detailed research on how to improve the teaching of software testing. In joining the course, you are agreeing to participate in an experiment (the course).
  • It is essential that you review these policies before starting the course. If you do not agree to the policies, you cannot participate, because these policies govern your interaction with the other participants in the course.

The research underlying this course has been partially funded by grants from the National Science Foundation. Current NSF funding comes from NSF CCLI Award No. 0717613, "Adaptation & Implementation of an Activity-Based Online or Hybrid Course in Software Testing." The views expressed in this course are those of the authors and instructors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.

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More Information

Information for BBST Students and Instructors:

Information about the BBST Series of Courses:

Policies: