Intelligent Deep-Learning Tutoring System to Assist Instructors in Programming Courses

Artificial intelligence (AI) in programming teaching is something that still has to be explored, since in this area assessment tools that allow grading the students work are the most common ones, but there are not many tools aimed toward providing feedback to the students in the process of creating their program. In this work a small sized AI-based intelligent tutor that answers students programming questions and provides them with examples is presented. AI is becoming more and more popular as time passes, allowing to perform tasks automatically in a way that could not be done before. From predictions to customization, AI is being used in many areas, not being educational environments outside this situation. AI is being used in educational settings to customize contents or to provide personalized feedback to the students, among others. In this scenario, The tool has been tested by university students at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos during the course Programming Fundamentals in the first course of their Biomedical Engineering degree to evaluate if it helps the students in the process of learning programming skills. One of the main goals was to provide guidance to the students without needing the instructor to be physically by their side. Even if the tool is still in its preliminary phase, it helped the students with their questions, providing accurate answers and examples. The students were able to use the intelligent tutor easily and they thought that it could be a useful tool to use in other courses.