Metamorphic Testing of a Steer-by-Wire System: An Intercultural Students-as-Partners Collaboration Experience

Yifan Zhang, Dave Towey, Matthew Pike, Rui Qiu, Axel Tan Jaya, Sze Huey, Xinyi Zhang, Yuan Wu

9th ACM International Workshop on Metamorphic Testing, September 2024

[DOI] [Cite]

Yifan Zhang, Dave Towey, Matthew Pike, Rui Qiu, Axel Tan Jaya, Sze Huey, Xinyi Zhang, Yuan Wu. 2024. Metamorphic Testing of a Steer-by-Wire System: An Intercultural Students-as-Partners Collaboration Experience. In 9th ACM International Workshop on Metamorphic Testing. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1145/3679006.3685069

Yifan Zhang and Dave Towey and Matthew Pike and Rui Qiu and Axel Tan Jaya and Sze Huey and Xinyi Zhang and Yuan Wu. (2024). Metamorphic Testing of a Steer-by-Wire System: An Intercultural Students-as-Partners Collaboration Experience. 9th ACM International Workshop on Metamorphic Testing. https://doi.org/10.1145/3679006.3685069

Yifan Zhang and Dave Towey and Matthew Pike and Rui Qiu and Axel Tan Jaya and Sze Huey and Xinyi Zhang and Yuan Wu. "Metamorphic Testing of a Steer-by-Wire System: An Intercultural Students-as-Partners Collaboration Experience." 9th ACM International Workshop on Metamorphic Testing, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1145/3679006.3685069

Yifan Zhang, Dave Towey, Matthew Pike, Rui Qiu, Axel Tan Jaya, Sze Huey, Xinyi Zhang, Yuan Wu. 2024. Metamorphic Testing of a Steer-by-Wire System: An Intercultural Students-as-Partners Collaboration Experience. 9th ACM International Workshop on Metamorphic Testing. doi:10.1145/3679006.3685069

Yifan Zhang and Dave Towey and Matthew Pike and Rui Qiu and Axel Tan Jaya and Sze Huey and Xinyi Zhang and Yuan Wu, "Metamorphic Testing of a Steer-by-Wire System: An Intercultural Students-as-Partners Collaboration Experience," 9th ACM International Workshop on Metamorphic Testing, 2024. doi: 10.1145/3679006.3685069

@inproceedings{met-2024,
  title={Metamorphic Testing of a Steer-by-Wire System: An Intercultural Students-as-Partners Collaboration Experience},
  author={Yifan Zhang and Dave Towey and Matthew Pike and Rui Qiu and Axel Tan Jaya and Sze Huey and Xinyi Zhang and Yuan Wu},
  booktitle={9th ACM International Workshop on Metamorphic Testing},
  year={2024},
  doi={10.1145/3679006.3685069}
}

Metamorphic testing (MT), metamorphic exploration (ME), software engineering (SE), students as partners (SaP), team personality, team productivity

Abstract

This paper explores the educational and practical impacts of integrating metamorphic testing (MT) into a software engineering project conducted by an intercultural group of students. The students designed a Steer-by-Wire (SBW) system to control the steering of a model vehicle and tested using a hybrid approach that combined unit testing and MT. Four metamorphic relations (MRs) were generated and two significant violations were encountered during the testing phase. The first violation, related to steering angle consistency reported by the system, as a case of metamorphic exploration (ME), revealed a common coding mistake where the system failed to maintain consistent steering angles for equivalent inputs in opposite directions, illustrating how ME can enhance comprehension of the system and the testing process itself. It not only deepened the testers' understanding of the integration between software and mechanical systems but also represented valuable insights for others engaged in similar tasks. The second MR violation revealed issues with interruptions and delays when the system switched between manual and automated control modes, demonstrating MT's effectiveness in identifying defects and highlighting MT's importance in real-world software development scenarios. Additionally, the project examined the effectiveness of aligning MT roles to team members based on their Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personalities, suggesting that such alignments can enhance team dynamics and overall project efficiency. This study provides insights into the benefits of using MT in educational settings, the implications of personality-based task assignments, and the enhancement of software reliability and team performance in an intercultural context. The findings of this research reinforce the value of MT in software engineering education and support for the integration of psychological analysis in managing complex projects.