Automatic Generation and Marking of UML Database Design Diagrams
Sarah Foss, Tatiana Urazova, Ramon Lawrence · Proceedings of the 53rd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education · 2022
Interactive question systems improve student engagement and provide opportunities for increased practice and skill mastery. Developing database design diagrams is a key skill for database courses, but providing evaluation feedback is time-consuming for instructors and accurate auto-grading is challenging due to the variability of student answers especially when labeling diagram components. This work presents a system for the automatic creation and real-time evaluation of database design questions using UML diagrams. Students directly interact with the question text, and the system continuously generates a visual representation of their answer as well as provides immediate feedback at any time. By utilizing a web-based, customizable user interface, the system supports precise marking and the ability to practice variants of design questions to mastery. A classroom evaluation demonstrates high student satisfaction compared to traditional UML design questions and preference for using the software to improve their learning outcomes.