Exploring the Landscape of Online Formative Assessment Practices in Programming Courses

Abstract

This scoping review aims to comprehensively examine the current landscape of online formative assessment practices in programming courses. The objective is to gain insights into existing practices, emerging trends, challenges, and innovations in this area. To conduct this review, the authors followed established approaches for scoping reviews and identified relevant studies through a systematic search of academic databases. A diverse range of literature on online formative assessment in programming education was found, meeting the inclusion criteria which encompassed studies from various educational settings spanning introductory to advanced programming courses. This chapter examined different methods, tools, and strategies in online formative assessment and their impact on student engagement, motivation, and performance. The results demonstrate a variety of formative online assessment strategies, including automated feedback, coding assignments, peer assessment, and quizzes. This chapter provides insightful advice for improving online formative assessments used in programming courses.