| dc.description.abstract | In this thesis a code-editor was implemented as a part of a bigger web-based system for solving programming assignments in the course TDT4100. The editor was created in order to allow the students of the class to focus solely on writing code, and not on setting up the surrounding framework (installing programming languages and IDEs, setting up projects, etc.).
The editor supports syntax highlighting, error checking, code completion, multiples classes, and running of tests, along with all of the more basic editor functionality such as block indentation, bracket matching, line-numbers, etc. The editor is embedded into each problem contained in an assignments, which allows students to solve basic and intermediate programming challenges directly in their web-browser, without the need for any setup.
The system also utilizes several gamification elements, as described in the thesis preliminary study, Gamification of Assignment Systems (Åse, 2014). Responsive web design principles were used while implementing the system, which allows students to check their ranks and scores from any device. This was done in order to foster competition between the students, which will in turn increase motivation even further.
The results from the experiments performed indicate that the editor is well suited for use on programming assignments in courses such as TDT4100, TDT4110 and TDT4120, or any other course which has assignments that can be tested programmatically, as the editor has a low response time even for very large programs (64KB). However, the editor is not suited for courses such as TDT4180, or other GUI-programming courses, since the he editor is currently limited to displaying console output and test-results. | |
