Software testing is one of the most relevant activities regarding system development but, at the same time, it is a difficult topic to learn or teach without the appropriate supporting mechanisms. A learning process of software testing should involve the cooperation of theoretical and experimental knowledge with related tools in order to facilitate the apprenticeship of specific testing theories and skills. In previous works we investigated the establishment of supporting mechanisms for developing educational modules. The idea was contribute to the improvement of learning processes in general by producing quality educational products, capable of motivating the learners and effectively contribute to their knowledge construction process. In this paper we illustrate the application of our ideas in the context of software testing, more specifically by the development of an educational module for mutation testing. We consider mutation testing since it is a sound and powerful approach, but its use is still limited, mainly due to its high cost of application and, also, due to the need of an adequate learning process.

Mutation testing (MT) has been found to be effective at revealing faults. However, its high cost of application, due to the high number of mutants created and the effort to determine the equivalent ones, has motivated the proposition of alternative approaches for its application. One of them, named selective mutation, aims to reduce the number of generated mutants through a reduction in the number of mutant operators. A previous relevant study resulted in the proposition of a sufficient mutant operators set for FORTRAN, indicating that it is possible to have a large cost reduction in MT application, whilst preserving a high MT score. This work investigates procedures for the determination of a sufficient mutant operators set for C programs with the perspective of contributing to the establishment of low-cost, effective mutation-based testing strategies.

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