Towards a Learning Environment for Internet of Things Testing with LEGO® MINDSTORMS®

Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the most fast-growing topics in computer science. Nearly all devices can be connected to the Internet nowadays. This is related with big opportunities on the one hand, but also with significant risks on the other hand. The challenge is to define a strategy how to test single IoT devices and complete IoT environments consisting of a suite of multiple connected devices. The range of application fields is very extensive and consequently there is no unique testing strategy existing which is suitable for all possible application areas. Testing experts need to be qualified in IoT Testing because this requires more than common software testing technical knowledge of the functions of several devices and its integration in embedded environments. In this paper a concept for further training of testing experts in IoT Testing with LEGO® MINDSTORMS® will be demonstrated. Thereby the proven course unit ‘Build a Self-Driving Car’ of LEGO® for computing lessons at schools will be extended by learning units for IoT Testing. The goal is to provide training courses close to real-world scenarios. The scenarios will be simulated within a virtual learning environment. It will finally be analyzed if this approach fulfills the expectations of the participants in relation to usability and the learning progress by getting feedback between the participants after each individual learning unit.