Automatic Feedback During Coding Exams: Curse or Blessing?

Abstract

Automatic feedback during a coding exam can be very useful for both the students and the examiners. It can provide a quick and objective evaluation of the code written by the students, which can save a lot of time for the examiners and ensure consistency in grading. However, an exam is also a stressful, emotional situation for students. Therefore, the question arises as to what this immediate feedback triggers in weaker students. Does it help them to recognise their mistakes better or does it tend to prevent them from doing so? How should feedback be designed so that it has the most positive effect possible? What are the key mistakes? These and other points will be discussed in our poster session with the interested participants.