Subsidies to the integration of automated assessment tools and learning management systems

• Grant number: 15/10670-9
• Support type: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): September 16, 2015
• Effective date (End): August 15, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Computer Science
• Principal Investigator: Ellen Francine Barbosa
• Grantee: Draylson Micael de Souza
• Supervisor abroad: Michael Kolling
• Home Institution: Instituto de Ciências Matemáticas e de Computação (ICMC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Local de pesquisa : University of Kent, England
• Associated to the scholarship: 12/04352-6 - Subsidies to the integration of automated assessment tools and learning management systems, BP.DR

Abstract

The benefits of using assessment tools for programming assignments have been widely discussed and spread out in computing education. For this reason, the doctoral project "Subsidies to the Integration of Automated Assessment Tools and Learning Management Systems" (FAPESP 2012/04352-6) aiming at investigating and exploring the integration of assessment tools for programming assignments into LMSs. The idea is to establish mechanisms to minimize the problems associated to the access to and use of such tools, encouraging and facilitating their adoption by both instructors and students. In this sense, a relevant issue concerning the assessment of programming assignments is how to interpret the assessment results. More important than measuring the quality of students' assignments is to understand their difficulties and adopt teaching strategies to minimize the associated problems. Thus, this research project aims to investigating the students' difficulties on learning programming based on the assessment results from assessment tools for programming assignments, as well as observing the students' actions when they are building programs in programming supporting tools. The project will be conducted under supervision of Prof. Michael Köling, at University of Kent, UK. We will consider the programming support tools Greenfoot and Bluej, specially the data collected through the Bluej Blackbox, and the ProgTest assessment tool for programming assignments.