Abstract:

Becoming a programmer is a hard task. As an undergraduate student of computer science you need to handle multiple topics at the same time like understanding the principle of computer programs (sequence, selection, iteration), applying the syntax of a real world programming language and using a development environment of editors, debuggers and compilers. Usually, all these skills need to be applied to programming tasks simultaneously, which is one of the biggest challenges in didactics of computer science. In our experience the easiest way to help students to become a programmer is to remove as many technical obstacles as possible at the very beginning of this learning process. Therefore, in our exercises we make use of web-based integrated development environments with automated evaluation of submissions. Beside many other advantages such systems allow students to concentrate purely on their exercises and avoid the need to setup a development environment on their own. In this article we will present our experiences with web-based development environments, describe their pros and cons for different learning scenarios and provide a market overview of systems that are ready to use.

Keywords:

Programming, computer science, e-learning, development environment, automated grading.