A Web-based Automatic Program Grader
Don Colton, Leslie D. Fife, Andrew Thompson · 2006
The ability to program is one of the core tools used by computer scientists, and programming proficiency is a recommended requirement for ABET accreditation. In our experience, students learn programming skills best by writing many programs, ranging from simple to complex. Overworked teachers can be dismayed by the prospect of grading still more programs per student as well as teaching introductory classes with large enrollments. The automatic grading approach offers substantial advantages and opportunities, but also some challenges. We present WebBot, a web-based automatic grader for computer programming assignments. This program is an expansion of GradeBot, an automatic program grader used for several years. This newest version of GradeBot introduces a web-based interface. GradeBot evaluates student programs written in any of several languages, including C, C++, Java, Perl, Python, Tcl, and MIPS assembler. Guidance for similar projects is provided through a discussion of the development and use of GradeBot and WebBot.