Software standards in undergraduate computing courses

Joy, Mike; Lück, Michael

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2729.1996.tb00042.x

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…At Warwick, we have implemented a software package called BOSS [4] ("The BOSS Online Submission System") which allows students to submit online programming assignments. It contains a collection of programs which run under the UNIX operating system, and is designed specifically for courses which have a large number of students attending, and which are assessed by means of programming exercises.…”

Section: Testingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plagiarism in programming assignments

1999

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Assessment of programming courses is usually carried out by means of programming assignments. Since it is simple to copy and edit computer programs, however, there will always be a temptation among some students following such courses to copy and modify the work of others. As the number of students in these courses is often high, it can be very difficult to detect this plagiarism. We have developed a package which will allow programming assignments to be submitted on-line, and which includes software to assist in detecting possible instances of plagiarism. In this paper, we discuss the concerns that motivated this work, we describe the developed software, tailoring the software to different requirements, and finally we consider its implications for large group teaching.

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Section: Testingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plagiarism in programming assignments

1999

Self Cite

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“…Indeed, several distinct requirements of systems for such a purpose were identified by a recent panel discussion [1], and elsewhere [4,5].…”

Section: The Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By automating the processes of submission and testing, these problems, at least to some extent, can be addressed. Indeed, several distinct requirements of systems for such a purpose were identified by a recent panel discussion [1], and elsewhere [4,5].…”

Section: The Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

A secure on-line submission system

Lück

Joy

1999

Softw: Pract. Exper.

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As student numbers on computer science courses continue to increase, the corresponding demands placed on teaching staff in terms of assessment grow ever stronger. In particular, the submission and assessment of practical work on large programming courses can present very significant problems. In response to this, we have developed a networked suite of software utilities that allow on-line submission, testing and marking of coursework. It has been developed and used over the course of five years, and has evolved into a mature tool that has greatly reduced the administrative time spent managing the processes of submission and assessment. In this paper, we describe the software and its implementation, and discuss the issues involved in its construction. The problemAs has been documented elsewhere [1-3], it is generally not possible to assess the correctness of a program with a large degree of accuracy simply by inspecting the source code 722 M. LUCK AND M. JOY listings. While this is obviously true of large programs, it also holds even for small programs on introductory programming courses. The only way to arrive at an accurate assessment of a program is by running the program against several sets of test data, yet this is time-consuming, and can be prohibitive if done manually with large classes. It is possible to require students to provide evidence of their own testing, but this requires further skills on the part of the students that are not typically covered by introductory programming courses. Moreover, such tests might easily be faked by students modifying the output from their programs to give the desired results.By automating the processes of submission and testing, these problems, at least to some extent, can be addressed. Indeed, several distinct requirements of systems for such a purpose were identified by a recent panel discussion [1], and elsewhere [4,5].(a) The system must copy the student's source code program to a location accessible only by the instructor, noting the date and time of submission. (b) It should allow for multiple source files of various types, including documentation. (c) It should allow late submission of assignments. (d) Before submission, the system should compile and run the program against public test cases to alert the student to obvious errors. (e) After submission, the program should be compiled and run against several sets of test data. Related workThere have been several attempts to address some of the concerns outlined above, with varying degrees of success. MacPherson [6] describes a system that allows students to work in a special course directory in their own filestore, but at the appropriate time transfers ownership to an instructor who can then subsequently run and test the programs. Canup and Shackelford [7] have developed a suite of programs for assisting in automatic submission, but do not address automated testing of programs. Isaacson and Scott [8] use a C shell script for automating the compilation and testing of student programs against sets of test data once...

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“…It has been discovered, through experience, that in-class collaboration takes longer than anticipated and requires careful planning [15]. Additional issues arising include the danger of plagiarism [9] and the difficulty of assessing team-based projects [10] [12]. Plagiarism has always been an issue, even in closed laboratories, where constant supervision is often impossible.…”

Section: Teachersmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of campus-wide portable computing on computer science education

Thomas¹,

Laxer²,

Nishida³

et al. 1998

Working Group Reports of the 3rd Annual SIGCSE/SIGCUE ITiCSE Conference on Integrating Technology Into Computer Science Educati

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At least fifty colleges and universities throughout the world have initiated plans under which all students buy, lease, or provide their own portable/laptop computer. The impact of these initiatives on the general educational environment has been widely discussed; however, the impact on the delivery of computer science education has not been. In this working group report we discuss a number of issues pertaining to computer science education in light of campus-wide computing initiatives. Our report relates experiences of faculty already involved in such endeavors plus ideas regarding the future of portable computers in computer science education. As such, it will be beneficial to computer science programmes currently involved in campus-wide computing initiatives as well as those that may become involved in the near future.

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Software standards in undergraduate computing courses

Cited by 9 publications

References 7 publications

Plagiarism in programming assignments

Plagiarism in programming assignments

A secure on-line submission system

The impact of campus-wide portable computing on computer science education

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