Adapting an open-source web-based assessment system for the automated assessment of programming problems

Abstract

This paper describes the adaptation of an open-source web-based assessment system to support the teaching and assessment of programming fundamentals. WeBWorK is a system that has been used effectively in mathematics for a number of years and the nature of its underlying engine makes it particularly well-suited to the problems from this discipline. It is accessible for instructors to contribute problems and free for students to use. A community has built up around WeBWorK to share problem sets in mathematics. Within computer science, many of the web-based programming delivery and assessment systems are commercial initiatives; students pay to use them and problem sets are administered centrally. This paper describes a project that is adapting WeBWorK for use in computer science and presents initial findings from its use over one academic year. Our on-going and future work is summarized, and the broader potential highlighted.