Using Jexserver in TDT4100: Evaluation, Preparation and Integration

Abstract

JExercise is a programming assistance tool used by students working on exercises for the programming course TDT4100. A prototype of Jexserver, a server for automatically grading students' submissions, was developed in fall 2007 to grade exercises for the course. The Jexserver prototype is now further developed into a production-quality system, tested on students attending TDT4100 with a range of exercises, and a simulated exam is staged to test the performance. The system performance of Jexserver is found to be sufficiently good to use it to host a digital exam, and the conclusion is that Jexserver is ready to be used as the primary exercise grading tool for TDT4100 and other programming courses. The JExercise client itself is extended to be able to submit exercises directly to Jexserver with zero configuration, improving student usability. Finally, Jexserver is successfully integrated with it's learning, the learning management system used by NTNU, by implementing the IMS Tool Interoperability Guidelines, and by specifically targeting the implementation at it's learning, the user interface is also seamlessly integrated, providing a coherent solution with JExercise, Jexserver and it's learning.