A new Moodle module supporting automatic verification of VHDL-based assignments

• Published in: Computers and education Vol. 54; no. 2; pp. 562 - 577
• Main Authors: Gutiérrez, Eladio, Trenas, María A., Ramos, Julián, Corbera, Francisco, Romero, Sergio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applications in subject areas; Assignments; Automatic assessment; Automation; Computer Assisted Instruction; Computer Assisted Testing; Computer Science Education; Computer Software; Computer System Design; Distance education and telelearning; Educational Assessment; Educational Technology; Information Technology; Instructional Design; Integrated Learning Systems; Internet; Learning management systems; Programming; Simulation; Simulations; Student Evaluation; Teamwork; Units of Study; Web Based Instruction; Learning management systems; Simulations; Distance education and telelearning; Applications in subject areas; Automatic assessment
• ISSN: 0360-1315; 1873-782X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.compedu.2009.09.006

This work describes a new Moodle module developed to give support to the practical content of a basic computer organization course. This module goes beyond the mere hosting of resources and assignments. It makes use of an automatic checking and verification engine that works on the VHDL designs submitted by the students. The module automatically keeps up to date information about their state, and significantly reduces the overload that a continuous assessment demands to the teacher. Additionally, this new module is oriented to promote a collaborative teamwork allowing to define student teams in a more operative way than built-in Moodle groups. The module has been designed according to the Moodle philosophy and its application can be extended to other similar subjects.