Test case generation in software testing is a process of developing a set of test data that satisfies a particular test adequacy criterion. It is desirable to automate this process since doing it manually is not only technically difficult but also tedious and time-consuming. Although there has been considerable research in automatic test case generation directed at imperative languages, we find no research exists addressing the problem for spreadsheet languages. This problem is particularly important for spreadsheet languages, since spreadsheet languages are widely used by end users and most of them lack testing backgrounds. To address this need, in this thesis, we present an automatic test case generation methodology for spreadsheet languages. Based on an analysis of the differences between imperative languages and spreadsheet languages, we developed our methodology by properly adapting existing test case generation techniques for imperative languages. Our methodology is integrated with a previously developed methodology for testing spreadsheets, and supports incremental automatic test case generation and visual feedback. We have conducted a family of empirical studies to assess the effectiveness and the efficiency of the essential techniques underlying our methodology. The results of our studies show that the test cases generated by our methodology can exercise a large percentage of a spreadsheet under test. The results also provide insights into the tradeoffs between two test case generation techniques for spreadsheet languages. / Graduation date: 2001

Until now, attempts to extend the one-way constraint evaluation model of the spreadsheet paradigm to support complex objects, such as colored circles or user-defined types, have led to approaches featuring either a direct way of creating objects graphically or strong compatibility with the spreadsheet paradigm, but not both. This inability to conveniently go beyond numbers and strings without straying outside the spreadsheet paradigm has been a limiting factor in the applicability of spreadsheets. In this thesis we present a technique that removes this limitation, allowing complex objects to be programmed directly--and in a manner that fits seamlessly within the spreadsheet paradigm--using direct manipulation and gestures. We also present the results of an empirical study which suggests that programmers can use this technique to program complex objects faster and with fewer errors. The graphical definitions technique not only expands the applicability of spreadsheet languages, it also adds to their support for exploratory programming and to their scalability. / Graduation date: 1997

Thesis (M.S.)--Brigham Young University. School of Technology, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 119-121).

Thesis (Ph.D. Education)--University of Waikato, 2009. / Title from PDF cover (viewed January 14, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 345-362)

The influence of modern technology on education is becoming more noticeable and has implications for the curriculum and the teaching methods of mathematics. The microcomputer can be used effectively as a powerful teaching and learning aid within the mathematics classroom. This study considers the role of the computer as an aid to teachers and pupils in the teaching and learning of mathematics and shows it as having great potential. At present relatively few schools in South Africa are using the computer as a teaching aid in the mathematics classroom. The researcher proposes that some reasons are a shortage of suitable programs, the fact that few teachers have adequate skills in educative uses of the computer and most teachers are not skilled in programming techniques. Based on this assessment of the problem, spreadsheet programs related to some mathematics lessons, together with teaching notes and pupils' material have been developed. Besides describing the potential of the computer in mathematics, this study outlines the development of three spreadsheet packages and suitable teaching methodologies used for each package, and assesses an action research investigation undertaken by the researcher, teachers and pupils when using these spreadsheet packages in six classes. The findings of the investigation are most encouraging. The overall conclusion is that computer spreadsheet packages can assist the teacher in making the learning of mathematics more effective, more interesting and more enjoyable.

M.Ed. / The objective of this study was to explore the possibilities of applying and using the computer in the Mathematics classroom. The effectiveness of the various possibilities of this application was of particular importance, as the main motivation for the use of the computer as educational aid in the Mathematics classroom was to promote learning effectively and to transform learners from passive to active participators in the learning environment. A literary study was assigned to a broad discussion of three learning theorems. The behaviourist, information processing and constructivist learning theories were weighed up against one another. The distinguishing characteristics of each one, as well as implications thereof on the effective learning of Mathematics, were analysed. The nature of mathematical knowledge serves ultimately as criteria for effective learning. A list of criteria and guidelines, which the learning situation had to meet, in order to promote effective learning in Mathematics, was presented before the computer could be considered as an alternative teaching strategy. In the course of the study, there was regular reference to the computer as a tutor. Varius advantages and disadantages of computer aided instruction (CAI) in the Mathematics classroom were discussed thoroughly. Four types of CAI approaches were seen as alternatives to traditional teaching methods. Each of these approaches was weighed up against the suggested/recommended list of criteria which the learning situation should meet in order to promote effective learning. As an alternative to these approaches, the possibilities of application software were considered. This study focused particularly on the possibilities of the use of spreadsheets in the Mathematics classroom. Various advantages and disadvantages of the implementation of spreadsheets in the Mathematics classroom were discussed thoroughly. During an empirical study, a lesson unit, implementing spreadsheets as teaching aid, was put to the test and its value assessed. The success of this lesson unit was evaluated according to a West. In conclusion, it can be assumed that constructivist learning theory principles served as a foundation for this study which effectively promoted learning. The learners were constructively active, on the computer, and were guided in their construction of knowledge with the assistance of inductive questions and observation of the spreadsheet generated graphs. In a group situation, the learners supported one another and the teacher acted merely as facilitator. By using spreadsheets in the Mathematics classroom as an alternative to the traditional CAI material, learning could be effectively promoted as the progression of lesson aspects and phases depended on the foundation of constructivism.

This study describes the use of spreadsheets in business computer applications (BCA) courses and identifies and evaluates the use of spreadsheets for emphasizing and teaching mathematics in BCA courses. Survey instruments in the form of questionnaires were sent to all of the Virginia high schools with the BCA course to attain the BCA teachers' perceptions of spreadsheet use. Responses were received from 257 teachers, or 70% of the total assumed population. Findings reveal that 95% of the Virginia BCA teachers include spreadsheet instruction in their BCA courses. The mean number of class periods used for spreadsheet instruction is 27; however, the standard deviation is relatively high. The basic mathematics operations received extensive emphasis. The more complex operations only some emphasis. Accounting and Payroll computation receive the most amount of spreadsheet instructional time. Over half of the BCA teachers who teach spreadsheets include increasing their students' mathematics skills as one of the course objectives. At the same time, however, only 22% of the respondents evaluate their students' mathematics skills independently from spreadsheet application evaluation. Although this independent mathematics evaluation seldom occurs, 72% of the respondents believe that teaching spreadsheets enhances students' mathematics skills to some extent, and 42% believe that teaching spreadsheets enhances students' mathematics skills extensively. Considering the amount of material to be taught in spreadsheet instruction, not enough of the BCA class time is devoted to spreadsheet instruction. Much spreadsheet instruction precedes emphasis on mathematics as part of the instruction. Also, considering that students emphasize in their learning what they are evaluated on, the importance the BCA teachers placed on mathematics appears to be minimal. / Master of Science

The multiple traveling salesmen problem (MTSP) is an extension of the traveling salesman problem with many production and scheduling applications. The TSP has been well studied including methods of solving the problem with genetic algorithms. The MTSP has also been studied and solved with GAs in the form of the vehicle-scheduling problem. This work presents a new modeling methodology for setting up the MTSP to be solved using a GA. The advantages of the new model are compared to existing models both mathematically and experimentally. The model is also used to model and solve a multi line production problem in a spreadsheet environment. The new model proves itself to be an effective method to model the MTSP for solving with GAs. The concept of the MTSP is then used to model and solve with a GA the use of one salesman make many tours to visit all the cities instead of using one continuous trip to visit all the cities. While this problem uses only one salesman, it can be modeled as a MTSP and has many applications for people who must visit many cities on a number of short trips. The method used effectively creates a schedule while considering all required constraints. / Ph. D.

As computer hardware becomes smaller and increasingly less expensive, more contractors can now use computers to do a number of construction computations which were formally done on hand calculators. The advent of user-oriented software packages has had a significant impact on the traditional data processing procedures of the construction industry. Among the software packages that are available for a large number of computer systems are electronic spreadsheets. Electronic spreadsheets packages, such as Multiplan, are widely used where the display of information can best be depicted in an array of rows and columns. It is frequently useful in situations in which the user wants to change various elements of information or try out various assumptions in a “what if” analysis. This paper discusses, among other things, models for two very important aspects of construction: those of cost estimating and scheduling. The paper further discusses the capabilities of spreadsheets in general as they relate to specific application to the construction industry. A graphical model of a CPM precedence diagram to be used in construction scheduling is presented along with a table for estimating the cost of a building based on the structural components of which it is made. There is also discussion of other software packages with similar capabilities to Multiplan.

Information uncertainty is inherent in many real-world problems and adds a layer of complexity to modeling and visualization tasks. This often causes users to ignore uncertainty, especially when it comes to visualization, thereby discarding valuable knowledge. A coherent framework for the modeling and visualization of information uncertainty is needed to address this issue In this work, we have identified four major barriers to the uptake of uncertainty modeling and visualization. Firstly, there are numerous uncertainty modeling tech- niques and users are required to anticipate their uncertainty needs before building their data model. Secondly, parameters of uncertainty tend to be treated at the same level as variables making it easy to introduce avoidable errors. This causes the uncertainty technique to dictate the structure of the data model. Thirdly, propagation of uncertainty information must be manually managed. This requires user expertise, is error prone, and can be tedious. Finally, uncertainty visualization techniques tend to be developed for particular uncertainty types, making them largely incompatible with other forms of uncertainty information. This narrows the choice of visualization techniques and results in a tendency for ad hoc uncertainty visualization. The aim of this thesis is to present an integrated information uncertainty modeling and visualization environment that has the following main features: information and its uncertainty are encapsulated into atomic variables, the propagation of uncertainty is automated, and visual mappings are abstracted from the uncertainty information data type. Spreadsheets have previously been shown to be well suited as an approach to visu- alization. In this thesis, we devise a new paradigm extending the traditional spreadsheet to intrinsically support information uncertainty.Our approach is to design a framework that integrates uncertainty modeling tech- niques into a hierarchical order based on levels of detail. The uncertainty information is encapsulated and treated as a unit allowing users to think of their data model in terms of the variables instead of the uncertainty details. The system is intrinsically aware of the encapsulated uncertainty and is therefore able to automatically select appropriate uncertainty propagation methods. A user-objectives based approach to uncertainty visualization is developed to guide the visual mapping of abstracted uncertainty information. Two main abstractions of uncertainty information are explored for the purpose of visual mapping: the Unified Uncertainty Model and the Dual Uncertainty Model. The Unified Uncertainty Model provides a single view of uncertainty for visual mapping, whereas the Dual Uncertainty Model distinguishes between possibilistic and probabilistic views. Such abstractions provide a buffer between the visual mappings and the uncertainty type of the underly- ing data, enabling the user to change the uncertainty detail without causing the visual- ization to fail. Two main case studies are presented. The first case study covers exploratory and forecasting tasks in a business planning context. The second case study inves- tigates sensitivity analysis for financial decision support. Two minor case studies are also included: one to investigate the relevancy visualization objective applied to busi- ness process specifications, and the second to explore the extensibility of the system through General Purpose Graphics Processor Unit (GPGPU) use. A quantitative anal- ysis compares our approach to traditional analytical and numerical spreadsheet-based approaches. Two surveys were conducted to gain feedback on the from potential users. The significance of this work is that we reduce barriers to uncertainty modeling and visualization in three ways. Users do not need a mathematical understanding of the uncertainty modeling technique to use it; uncertainty information is easily added, changed, or removed at any stage of the process; and uncertainty visualizations can be built independently of the uncertainty modeling technique.