CodeMaster - Automatic Assessment and Grading of App Inventor and Snap! Programs

• Published in: Informatics in education Vol. 17; no. 1; pp. 117 - 150
• Main Authors: Wangenheim, Christiane Gresse von, Hauck, Jean Carlo Rossa, Demetrio, Matheus Faustino, Pelle, Rafael, Cruz Alves, Nathalia da, Barbosa, Heliziane, Azevedo, Luiz Felipe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Vilnius Vilniaus Universiteto Leidykla 01.01.2018; Vilnius University Press; Institute of Mathematics and Informatics; Vilnius University Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Lithuanian Academy of Sciences; Vilnius University
• Subjects: app inventor; Applications programs; assessment; Automation; Competence; Computation; Computational Thinking; Computer Assisted Testing; Computer Oriented Programs; Computer Science; Computer Software; Course Content; Courseware; Educational Assessment; Educational Technology; Electronic Learning; Elementary Secondary Education; Evaluation; Evaluative Thinking; Feedback; Foreign Countries; Grading; ICT Information and Communications Technologies; Information Science; Learning Activities; Learning Processes; Outcome Measures; Performance Based Assessment; Pretesting; Problem Based Learning; Problem Solving; Program Evaluation; Programming; Programming Languages; Questionnaires; Scoring Rubrics; Snap; Social Sciences; Static code analysis; Students; Summative Evaluation; Syntax; Units of Study; Usability; World Problems; Brazil; computational thinking; app inventor; assessment; grading; Snap; programming
• ISSN: 1648-5831; 2335-8971
• DOI: 10.15388/infedu.2018.08

The development of computational thinking is a major topic in K-12 education. Many of these experiences focus on teaching programming using block-based languages. As part of these activities, it is important for students to receive feedback on their assignments. Yet, in practice it may be difficult to provide personalized, objective and consistent feedback. In this context, automatic assessment and grading has become important. While there exist diverse graders for text-based languages, support for block-based programming languages is still scarce. This article presents CodeMaster, a free web application that in a problem-based learning context allows to automatically assess and grade projects programmed with App Inventor and Snap!. It uses a rubric measuring computational thinking based on a static code analysis. Students can use the tool to get feedback to encourage them to improve their programming competencies. It can also be used by teachers for assessing whole classes easing their workload.