Abstract:

In recent years, tools such as Copilot or ChatGPT have led some students to find solutions to their programming assignments without truly understanding what they are submitting. This gives them a false sense of achievement. However, they are not developing the necessary programming skills and could even pass the course due to out-of-class activities that yield high grades without having developed the necessary programming skills.

Learning strategies like flipped learning have been used for many years to enhance the quality of interactions between students and teachers during class sessions. Students are encouraged to review videos and materials prior to class so that class sessions can be better used for activities requiring complex thinking skills, such as analysis, design, and problem-solving.

On the other hand, there are studies that suggest using exams to improve student learning, based on the premise that students must prepare themselves for these tests and that they receive feedback to implement corrective actions on time.

For those reasons, in our first-semester programming course, which is taught using the flipped classroom strategy, we decided to replace out of class homework assignments with in-class activities. There was time during class sessions for practice and for students to ask questions and clarify misunderstandings. It was decided that assessment activities would be conducted during class sessions using tools that ensured students worked individually on their solutions. This way, students received timely feedback on their course performance, which encouraged them to seek tutoring, review the pre class materials provided, look for online tutorials and practice.

At the end of the course, a survey was conducted to obtain students' opinions. 60% of students strongly agreed and 30% agreed that the quizzes helped them to understand their knowledge level and take actions to catch up. 50% of students strongly agreed and 36% agreed that having quizzes instead of out of class assignments allowed them to better prepare for the topics because they had to study for the quizzes. 18% of students strongly agreed and 4% agreed that when having out of class assignments, they were more concerned about having a program that works, rather than fully understanding the topics.

This experiment makes us believe that it is necessary to change the evaluation strategy in the first-semester programming courses. It is essential for students to have many exercises available for practice so they can prepare for the topics, but it is also crucial for them to have frequent assessments so they can know their performance in the course and take corrective actions on time. This cannot be achieved through take-home assignments because this does not guarantee that students complete them without assistance. Therefore, conducting individual assessment activities during class sessions may be a good solution to the problem of having students who have very good grades on assignments, which leads them to believe they are doing well in the course, and when they reach the midterm or final tests they realize they have not truly understood the topics.

Keywords:

In-class assessments, CS1, basic programming courses.