Testing, Debugging and Verification

Education facts

Code: DIT084

The main aim of the course is to provide a basic understanding of techniques that cope with errors in programs. Recurring themes are;<br> a) the identification of errors,<br> b) theiranalysis, <br> c) their removal. The course also provides an understanding of systematic ways to convince oneself that a program unit really does what it should.The course covers formal and informal methods, testing (terminology, coverage, unittests, a unit test framework), debugging (control, workflow, localisation, tools), formal specifications (pre-/postconditions, invariants), formal verification (logics, tool support).Throughout, the course is concerned with imperative programs in general, and object-oriented programs in particular. After the course, student have understood - and are able to employ - the methods testing (trying to reveal the presence of errors in a systematic way), debugging (the act ofisolating and fixing errors), and verification (reasoning about programs in order toguarantee correctness).<br> All these methods only make sense in the presence of a specification of what the program is supposed to do.

Entry requirements

To be eligible for the course students should have successfully completed 45 hec of an education aiming at a bachelor degree within Computer Science, Software Engineering or equivalent. Within these 45 hec, the student should have successfully completed: A 7.5 hec course in discrete mathematics (such as DIT980) A 7.5 hec course in imperative/object-oriented programming (such as DIT012 or DIT953)

Education offerings

Each offering has its own dates and conditions. Closed offerings are retained as history and do not mean that a new application is open.

• Testing, Debugging and Verification

  University of Gothenburg

  Start date: 3 November 2025

  End date: 18 January 2026

  Pace of study: 50 %