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Automated Assessment in Programming Courses: A Case Study during the COVID-19 Era

Author

Listed:
  • Enrique Barra

    (Departamento de Ingeniería de Sistemas Telemáticos, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Telecomunicación, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain)

  • Sonsoles López-Pernas

    (Departamento de Ingeniería de Sistemas Telemáticos, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Telecomunicación, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain)

  • Álvaro Alonso

    (Departamento de Ingeniería de Sistemas Telemáticos, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Telecomunicación, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain)

  • Juan Fernando Sánchez-Rada

    (Departamento de Ingeniería de Sistemas Telemáticos, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Telecomunicación, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain)

  • Aldo Gordillo

    (Departamento de Sistemas Informáticos, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Sistemas Informáticos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28031 Madrid, Spain)

  • Juan Quemada

    (Departamento de Ingeniería de Sistemas Telemáticos, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Telecomunicación, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic imposed in many countries, in the short term, the interruption of face-to-face teaching activities and, in the medium term, the existence of a ‘new normal’, in which teaching methods should be able to switch from face-to-face to remote overnight. However, this flexibility can pose a great difficulty, especially in the assessment of practical courses with a high student–teacher ratio, in which the assessment tools or methods used in face-to-face learning are not ready to be adopted within a fully online environment. This article presents a case study describing the transformation of the assessment method of a programming course in higher education to a fully online format during the COVID-19 pandemic, by means of an automated student-centered assessment tool. To evaluate the new assessment method, we studied students’ interactions with the tool, as well as students’ perceptions, which were measured with two different surveys: one for the programming assignments and one for the final exam. The results show that the students’ perceptions of the assessment tool were highly positive: if using the tool had been optional, the majority of them would have chosen to use it without a doubt, and they would like other courses to involve a tool like the one presented in this article. A discussion about the use of this tool in subsequent years in the same and related courses is also presented, analyzing the sustainability of this new assessment method.

Suggested Citation

  • Enrique Barra & Sonsoles López-Pernas & Álvaro Alonso & Juan Fernando Sánchez-Rada & Aldo Gordillo & Juan Quemada, 2020. "Automated Assessment in Programming Courses: A Case Study during the COVID-19 Era," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-24, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:18:p:7451-:d:411629
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. -, 2020. "Education in the time of COVID-19," Coediciones, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), number 45905 edited by Eclac.
    2. -, 2020. "Education in the time of COVID-19," Libros y Documentos Institucionales, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), number 45905 edited by Eclac.
    3. Aldo Gordillo, 2019. "Effect of an Instructor-Centered Tool for Automatic Assessment of Programming Assignments on Students’ Perceptions and Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-24, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Esperanza Milena Torres-Madroñero & Maria C. Torres-Madroñero & Luz Dary Ruiz Botero, 2020. "Challenges and Possibilities of ICT-Mediated Assessment in Virtual Teaching and Learning Processes," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-20, December.
    2. Jan Skalka & Martin Drlik & Lubomir Benko & Jozef Kapusta & Juan Carlos Rodríguez del Pino & Eugenia Smyrnova-Trybulska & Anna Stolinska & Peter Svec & Pavel Turcinek, 2021. "Conceptual Framework for Programming Skills Development Based on Microlearning and Automated Source Code Evaluation in Virtual Learning Environment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-30, March.
    3. Sonsoles López-Pernas & Mohammed Saqr & Olga Viberg, 2021. "Putting It All Together: Combining Learning Analytics Methods and Data Sources to Understand Students’ Approaches to Learning Programming," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-18, April.

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