Enhancing the Learning Process in Programming Courses through an Automated Feedback and Assignment Management System

One of the best methods of learning in computer programming courses depends on practical exercises accompanied by a good feedback procedure. Feedback on programming assignments has a significant impact on learning; it has been described as the most powerful single motivator that enhances achievement. However, the process of preparing, collecting and grading programming assignments manually takes time. Particularly, manual grading of programming assignments to provide effective feedback is a tedious and time consuming task. As a result, the number of assigned programming lab work is often fewer than is ideal. Because providing effective feedback on programming assignments is so cumbersome, it is difficult to provide feedback in a timely manner. These problems can reduce the effectiveness of the programming learning process. This paper describes an online assignment management system and a hierarchical auto-grading structure for automatic evaluation of programming assignments, which allows instructors to distribute homework online and to offer fast and effective feedback. The automatic grading and feedback generation system has been used in actual courses at our university. Collected data confirm that instructors assigned more homework and provide quicker feedback when using the system than without.