Prof. Simon K.S. Cheung

Hong Kong Metropolitan University, China

Currently the Chief Information Officer in Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Dr. Simon K.S. Cheung has been working in the higher education sector for over 30 years in various administrative capacities, mainly in IT and educational technology, while also undertaking academic duties such as teaching, research, course development, and programme accreditation. He received his BSc and PhD in Computer Science, and Master of Public Administration from City University of Hong Kong and University of Hong Kong respectively. Dr. Cheung had been admitted as IET fellow, IMA fellow, BCS fellow, HKIE fellow, HKCS fellow, and IEEE senior member. He is active in research, with over 200 publications in two distinct areas, namely, software and systems engineering, and innovation and technology in education. Among other consultancy roles, he serves in the advisory board and editorial board for reputable international journals in these areas, including ETHE (SSCI, Q1), AJET (SSCI, Q1), and SN Computer Science (Scopus). Awards in recognition of his achievements include the Outstanding Research Publication Award from Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Outstanding CIO Award from Hong Kong IT Joint Council, and Honour for Excellence, CIO Award from the CIO Asia.

Speech Title: Technical Considerations for Hybrid Cloud Deployment of Enterprise Information Systems

Abstract: Whereas it is widely accepted that cloud deployment of enterprise information systems can achieve an optimal cost-performance balance, the implementation method is subject to many factors such as usage pattern and information security as different deployment models have different benefits and limitations. This presentation discusses the technical considerations for hybrid cloud deployment of enterprise information systems, based on a successful case study. It is an enterprise information system which used to handle large volume of concurrent accesses and transactions at seasonal peaks. The system adopts a typical 3-tier architecture, comprising a web tier, an application tier and a database tier. Taking a hybrid cloud approach for cost-performance balance, the web tier and application tier are deployed on cloud with the back-end databases resided on premises. This essentially accommodates the largest flexibility in the system design such as on functional configuration and customization, while attaining an acceptable level of resilience and information security control. Different environmental settings is discussed to illustrate how an optimal cost-performance balance can be derived effectively.

Prof. SIAU, Keng Leng

Singapore Management University, Singapore

Prof. Siau has more than 300 academic publications. His research publications have appeared in journals such as MIS Quarterly, Journal of the Association for Information Systems, Journal of Strategic Information Systems and others. According to Google Scholar, he has a citation count of more than 21,000. His h-index and i10-index, according to Google Scholar, are 74 and 190, respectively. Professor Siau is consistently ranked as one of the top information systems researchers globally based on his h-index and productivity rate. In 2006, he was ranked as one of the top ten e-commerce researchers globally (Arithmetic Rank of 7, Geometric Rank of 3). In 2006, the citation count for his paper "Building Customer Trust in Mobile Commerce" was ranked in the top 1% in the field, as reported by Essential Science Indicators. He is also on 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 Stanford University lists of the top 2% most-cited scientists in the world (he is ranked in the top 1%) and ranked as one of the top computer scientists in the U.S., China, and the world. He is a keynote speaker at a number of CS/IS/IT conferences. He has been involved in projects totaling more than US $6 million, and his research has been funded by NSF, IBM, NSFC, and other business organizations.

Prof. Siau has received numerous teaching, research, service, and leadership awards. He received the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Distinguished Teaching Award and the College of Business Administration Distinguished Teaching Award in 2001. He was awarded the Organizational Leadership Award in 2000 and the Outstanding Leader Award in 2004 by the Information Resources Management Association. He received the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Business Administration Research Award in 2005, and the Faculty External Recognition Award and Outstanding Contributions to Graduate Studies Award from the Missouri University of Science and Technology in 2020. He was a recipient of the prestigious International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) Outstanding Service Award in 2006, IBM Faculty Awards in 2006 and 2008, IBM Faculty Innovation Award in 2010, AIS Sandra Slaughter Service Award in 2019, AIS Award for Outstanding Contribution to IS Education in 2019, AIS Fellow Award in 2022, and AMCIS Outstanding Leader Award in 2023.

Prof. Qingyu Zhang

Shenzhen University, China

Zhang Qingyu is a distinguished professor at the School of Management, Shenzhen University. Before returning to China, he taught at Arkansas State University. He is mainly engaged in the research of supply chain management, sustainable operation management, data mining and intelligent algorithms. He has published more than 100 papers and 5 books in academic journals and conferences, and most of his research results have been published in key academic journals such as JOM, EJOR, IJPR, IJPE, IJOPM, COR, IEEE, etc. He is a Certified Senior Production and Inventory Manager (CFPIM Fellow) by the American Operations Management Institute (APICS). He is also a Microsoft Certified Solution Specialist (MCSD), Systems Engineer (MCSE), and Database Administrator (MCDBA). He has received three outstanding journal paper awards, three outstanding Conference paper awards, and three Arkansas State University College of Business Research Excellence Awards. One of his highly cited hot papers on supply chain cooperation won the Journal ofOperations Management Jack Meredith Best Paper Award (JOM Best Paper Award) in 2016. The journal is one of the 24 internationally recognized top journals in UT/DALLAS Economic Management category). He chaired the National Natural Science Foundation Project and chaired/participated in more than $800,000 of scientific research projects in the United States. He is a member of the editorial board of six journals, including Journal of Operations Management, Transportation Research Part E, Associate editor of the Iranian Journal of Management Studies, Judge of the American Natural Science Foundation, and judge of the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation.

Prof. Dave Towey

University of Nottingham Ningbo, China

Brief Introduction: Professor Dave Towey received the BA and MA degrees in computer science, linguistics, and languages from the University of Dublin, Trinity College, Ireland; the MEd degree in education leadership from the University of Bristol, U.K.; and the PhD degree in computer science from The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong S.A.R., China. He has been with University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) since 2013, where he serves as the head of the School of Computer Science, and as deputy director of the International Doctoral Innovation Centre. He previously served as the associate dean of education and student experience for the Faculty of Science and Engineering. His current research interests include software testing (especially adaptive random testing, for which he was amongst the earliest researchers who established the field, and metamorphic testing) and technology-enhanced education. He co-founded the ICSE International Workshop on Metamorphic Testing in 2016. He is a fellow of the HEA, and a senior member of the ACM and IEEE.   

Speech Title: An Alternative Perspective on Testing (and Teaching about) Untestable Software  

Abstract:Knowing when something is correct or not is seldom easy. When testing systems and software, knowing whether or not the output or behaviour is correct would seem fundamental to effective testing. Unfortunately, this is not always as obvious or easy as we would like.

Advances in computer and information system technology, including machine learning, generative AI, big data, and others, have exposed deficiencies in the software quality assurance (SQA) of modern software systems. SQA encompasses many activities, including software testing, where the system under test (the SUT) is executed with test inputs, and its output or behaviour is checked for errors. The mechanism for this checking is called an oracle. The lack of an oracle, or a practical inability to use it, is called the oracle problem: Software facing the oracle problem has been called untestable, because traditional software testing methods may not be usable. 

Metamorphic testing (MT) is an alternative way of doing software testing: Instead of focusing on individual SUT correctness, it looks at relations that should exist if the SUT has been properly implemented. These relations are called metamorphic relations (MRs): A violation of an MR indicates a fault in the SUT. This provides a new and effective way to test untestable software. 

In addition to introducing MT, and some of its significant success, this interactive session will also explore the application of MT ideas more generally to teaching software engineering, and more broadly in other educational settings.