WOPR 10 & Pre-WOPR Event

WOPR10: Call For Proposals (CFP)

Theme: How can we teach performance testing?

Every aspect of performance testing from problem awareness to systematic modeling, performance testing experiments, result analysis to problem reporting and getting the darn system actually working involves a rich an complex set of interrelated skills coupled with a blend of detailed technical knowledge and rich context sensitivity.  What are these skills?  How can we teach them?

WOPR10 will explore the topic of teaching performance testing with seasoned professionals and expert performance testers as well as teachers and instructional designers.

See the complete CFP on the WOPR Web Page

Experimental Methods in Teaching Performance Testing (Pre-WOPR Event)

In the past year, the number of publications and training courses available related to testing the performance of software systems has increased dramatically.  Over the last 7 or so years, most training courses related to performance testing that were not tool focused have fizzled out quickly after the initial buzz.  The primary reason for this is what is known in academia as “the transfer problem”, meaning that what students learn in the courses, they are unable to use/apply when they get back to the office.  One of the keys to minimizing the transfer problem is through relevant, engaging exercises during class.

Developing relevant, engaging exercises for performance testing skills is particularly difficult to do for the following reasons:

• It is both time and cost prohibitive to develop and deliver “project like” exercises.
• When teaching a public class, instructors cannot assume that students will be comfortable enough with the tools used in the exercises to be successful (unless the instructor additionally trains the use of the tool)
• Web-based exercises transfer exceptionally poorly to students who test anything other than websites.
• Exercises that are not web-based are completely rejected by (usually the majority of) students who performance test web-based applications.
• What we are trying to teach are complex, multi-disciplinary, cognitive skills.

That said, this is not an impossible problem, simply a hard one.

Immediately prior to WOPR10, I (Scott Barber) will be hosting a workshop designed to explore the challenge of addressing the transfer problem through innovative and/or experimental, classroom based, exercises related to performance testing.

See the complete announcement on the WOPR website

Conference Location and Time

Google, New York, NY USA

Experimental Methods in Teaching Performance Testing: April 28-30, 2008

WOPR 10 May 1 - 3, 2008

About WOPR

In the view of knowledgeable observers, WOPR attracts the best and the brightest performance testers and managers as participants. In fact, many participants have world-class reputations.

WOPR conferences are invitation-only, and generally are heavily over-subscribed. We have sometimes had to turn away two or more applicants for every one we invite.

Submitting a proposal to present at WOPR increases your chances of being invited.

We strive to make every conference an exquisite opportunity for learning and professional growth. They are intimate – we restrict attendance to less than 25 people per conference.

One of the important goals of WOPR is community building among performance and reliability test professionals.

WOPR conferences and tutorials are priced as close to free as we can make them, as we are a self-funded non-profit organization.

Read more on the about WOPR page.

Dates

• Submit your request to attend by: February 15, 2008 
• Selections will be completed by: March 31, 2008

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Scott Barber

President & Chief Technologist, PerfTestPlus, Inc.

Vice President & Executive Director, Association for Software Testing

www.perftestplus.com

www.associationforsoftwaretesting.org

"If you can see it in your mind...

     you will find it in your life."