Week 7 – 3/7/2025
This week, in my last class we had an activity for Equivalence Class Testing(ECT) under the POGIL activity. For the source of this week, I watched a YouTube video titled “Equivalence Class Testing Explained,” which gives us the essentials about this black-box testing method.
The host of the video defines ECT as a technique for partitioning input data into equivalence classes partitions where inputs are expected to yield similar results. To reduce redundant cases without sacrificing coverage, it is also possible to test one value per class. To demonstrate this reality, the presenter tested a function that takes in integers between 1 and 100. Classes in this example are invalid lower (≤0), invalid upper (≥101), and valid classes (1–100). Boundary value testing, in which values like 0, 1, 100, and 101 are applied to test for common problems in partition boundaries, was also accorded importance in the video.
I chose this video because ECT of the course we took included this topic and I wanted more information about the topic. Reading the course textbook it was difficult to follow. The class activity did make me do this topic, though this clarified it better to me. The video’s visual illustrations and step-by-step discussion clarified the practical application of ECT. The speaker’s observation about maintaining a balance between being thorough and being effective resonated with me, especially after spending hours of writing duplicate test cases for a recent project.
I thought that thorough testing had to test all possible inputs before watching. The video rebutted this by demonstrating how ECT reduces effort without losing effectiveness. I understood that my previous method of testing each edge case individually was not possible. Another fascinating thing was the difference between valid and invalid classes. I had neglected how the system handled wrong data in a previous project, dealing primarily with “correct” inputs. I realize how crucial both testing are for ensuring robustness after watching the demonstration of the video. Henceforth, in the future, I will adopt this approach to my future projects if needed.
My perception regarding testing has changed because of this movie, from a boring activity to a sensible activity. It serves the need of our course directly, i.e., providing efficient, scalable engineering practices. I can create fewer, yet stronger tests with the help of ECT, and that will surely help me as a software programmer. Equivalency class testing is a kit of wiser problem-solving, and I want to keep on practicing it. It’s not theory.
From the blog CS@Worcester – computingDiaries by hndaie and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.
