A Framework for Selecting Architectural Tactics Using Fuzzy Measures

Software architects cannot avoid the consideration of quality attributes when designing software architecture. Architectural styles such as Layers and Client-Server are often used by architects to describe the overall structure and behavior of software. Although an architectural style affects the achievement of quality attributes, these quality attributes are directly performed by design decisions called architectural tactics. While the implementation of an architectural tactic supports a specific quality attribute, it often enhances or hurts other quality attributes in the software. In this paper, a framework for selecting the most appropriate architectural tactics according to their best achievement of the required levels of quality attributes when developing transaction processing systems is proposed. The proposed framework is based on fuzzy measures using Choquet Integral approach and takes into account the impact of

Selection of penetration testing methodologies: A comparison and evaluation

Cyber security is fast becoming a strategic priority across both governments and private organisations. With technology abundantly available, and the unbridled growth in the size and complexity of information systems, cyber criminals have a multitude of targets. Therefore, cyber security assessments are becoming common practice as concerns about information security grow. Penetration testing is one strategy used to mitigate the risk of cyber-attack. Penetration testers attempt to compromise systems using the same tools and techniques as malicious attackers thus attempting to identify vulnerabilities before an attack occurs. This research details a gap analysis of the theoretical vs. the practical classification of six penetration testing frameworks and/or methodologies. Additionally, an analysis of two of the frameworks was undertaken to evaluate each against six quality characteristics. The characteristics were derived from a modified version of an ISO quality model

Towards a Research Agenda on Computer-Based Assessment - Challenges and Needs for European Educational Measurement

In 2006 the European Parliament and the Council of Europe have passed recommendations on key competences for lifelong learning and the use of a common reference tool to observe and promote progress in terms of the achievement of goals formulated in ¿Lisbon strategy¿ in March 2000 (revised in 2006, see http://ec.europa.eu/growthandjobs/) and its follow-up declarations. For those areas which are not already covered by existing measurements (foreign languages and learning-to-learn skills), indicators for the identification of such skills are now needed, as well as effective instruments for carrying out large-scale assessments in Europe. In this context it is hoped that electronic testing could improve the effectiveness of the needed assessments, i.e. to improve identification of skills, by reducing costs of the whole operation (financial efforts, human resources etc.). The European Commission is asked to assist Member States to define the organisational and resource implications for them of the construction and administration of tests, including looking into the possibility of adopting e-testing as the means to administer the tests. In addition to traditional testing approaches carried out in a paper-pencil mode, there are a variety of aspects needed to be taken into account when computer-based testing is deployed, such as software quality, secure delivery, if Internet-based: reliable network capacities, support, maintenance, software costs for development and test delivery, including licences. Future European surveys are going to introduce new ways of assessing student achievements. Tests can be calibrated to the specific competence level of each student and become more stimulating, going much further than it can be achieved with traditional multiple choice questions. Simulations provide better means of contextualising skills to real life situations and providing a more complete picture of the actual competence to be assessed. However, a variety of challenges require more research into the barriers posed by the use of technologies, e.g. in terms of computer, performance and security. The ¿Quality of Scientific Information¿ Action (QSI) and the Centre for Research on Lifelong Learning (CRELL) are carrying out a research project on quality criteria of Open Source skills assessment tools. 2 workshops were carried out in previous years bringing together European key experts from assessment research and practice in order to identify and discuss quality criteria relevant for carrying out large-scale assessments at a European level. This report reflects the contributions made on experiences and key challenges for European skills assessment.JRC.G.9-Econometrics and statistical support to antifrau

Evaluation on the Effectiveness and Usability of the Developed Collaborative Interaction Management System

A Collaborative Interaction Management System (CIMS) is a system that potentially provide some assistance to the teachers in managing the student's collaborative interaction in forum discussions. The projected main function of the CIMS is to provide tools that automatically gauge the quality of interaction as reflected in student's individual contributions so as to make it easier for the instructor to make judgments on the effectiveness of the collaborative process. This study aims to assess   how effective and usable is the developed CIMS based on the evaluation of faculty and students. The descriptive research design is utilized in this study. The five-point Likert scale is used and the gathered data are statistically interpreted through the utilisation of a weighted mean. The sample population of this study is the one hundred twenty participants coming from the different universities in the area where the survey was conducted. The researcher adopted a survey instrument made by some software specialists. The bases of the instrument are some of the characteristics listed on the software quality model of ISO 9126. These are the functionality, usability and the reliability. Each of these software characteristics is described by some indicators to obtain the responses of the participants. The overall evaluation of the participants displayed the weighted mean of 4.0, thus it can be concluded that the functionality, usability and reliability of the software is very good

Data Science Techniques for Modelling Execution Tracing Quality

This research presents how to handle a research problem when the research variables are still unknown, and no quantitative study is possible; how to identify the research variables, to be able to perform a quantitative research, how to collect data by means of the research variables identified, and how to carry out modelling with the considerations of the specificities of the problem domain. In addition, validation is also encompassed in the scope of modelling in the current study. Thus, the work presented in this thesis comprises the typical stages a complex data science problem requires, including qualitative and quantitative research, data collection, modelling of vagueness and uncertainty, and the leverage of artificial intelligence to gain such insights, which are impossible with traditional methods. The problem domain of the research conducted encompasses software product quality modelling, and assessment, with particular focus on execution tracing quality. The terms execution tracing quality and logging are used interchangeably throughout the thesis. The research methods and mathematical tools used allow considering uncertainty and vagueness inherently associated with the quality measurement and assessment process through which reality can be approximated more appropriately in comparison to plain statistical modelling techniques. Furthermore, the modelling approach offers direct insights into the problem domain by the application of linguistic rules, which is an additional advantage. The thesis reports (1) an in-depth investigation of all the identified software product quality models, (2) a unified summary of the identified software product quality models with their terminologies and concepts, (3) the identification of the variables influencing execution tracing quality, (4) the quality model constructed to describe execution tracing quality, and (5) the link of the constructed quality model to the quality model of the ISO/IEC 25010 standard, with the possibility of tailoring to specific project needs. Further work, outside the frames of this PhD thesis, would also be useful as presented in the study: (1) to define application-project profiles to assist tailoring the quality model for execution tracing to specific application and project domains, and (2) to approximate the present quality model for execution tracing, within defined bounds, by simpler mathematical approaches. In conclusion, the research contributes to (1) supporting the daily work of software professionals, who need to analyse execution traces; (2) raising awareness that execution tracing quality has a huge impact on software development, software maintenance and on the professionals involved in the different stages of the software development life-cycle; (3) providing a framework in which the present endeavours for log improvements can be placed, and (4) suggesting an extension of the ISO/IEC 25010 standard by linking the constructed quality model to that. In addition, in the scope of the qualitative research methodology, the current PhD thesis contributes to the knowledge of research methods with determining a saturation point in the course of the data collection process

Function Point: A Quality Loom for the Effort Assessment of Software Systems

Summary Accurate estimation of software development effort is critical in software engineering. Underestimates lead to time pressures that may compromise full functional development and thorough testing of software. In the existing systems, the effort and cost estimation are more concentrated only on the development of software systems alone and not on the quality coverage. Hence the quality assurance for the effort estimation is proposed in this paper. To assure this quality, the ISO 9126 quality factors are used. For weighing the factors, the function point metric is used as an estimation approach. The classification of software system for which the effort estimation is to be calculated based on the COCOMO model classes. An exhaustive literature survey reveals that attention is not paid to the following for estimating the effort: 1. Function point, 2. COCOMO classes of systems, and 3. ISO9126 quality factors. Thus by combining all the three parts, a new effort estimation method is developed as a research approach

A distribution model for the assessment of database systems knowledge and skills among second-year university students

Thesis (M. Tech.) - Central University of Technology, Free State, 200