Supporting Learning and Enhancement of Programming Competencies Through Use of Immediate Critiques of Antipatterns in Novice Programmer Code

该项目旨在通过开发一个系统来自动检测学生在编程课上犯的代码错误，从而服务于国家利益。向学生提供丰富、即时的反馈显著提高了学习结果，从而提高了编程技能。由于班级规模迅速增加和教师短缺，使用人工评分员及时提供反馈是困难的。这个项目的目标是开发一个能够在编程入门课程中自动向学生提供高质量反馈的系统。一旦开发完成，资源有限的部门可以使用该系统向学生提供及时的反馈。项目团队将扩展现有的WebTA系统，以研究学生在编程入门课程中所犯的常见错误。将使用混合方法来评估在一年级工程课程中使用WebTA作为学习工具的影响。假设这种干预将：(A)提高学生的计算技能；(B)提高学生的计算和工程自我效能感；(C)使学生和教师能够用一种共同的语言围绕反模式进行对话。学生将使用WebTA进行编码、思考反馈和做出更改的紧凑学习循环。第一年的讲师将帮助识别和编码新手反模式，从而产生一个MATLAB反模式库。项目团队将与课程讲师合作，在他们的教学材料中嵌入反模式的术语和示例。WebTA将被开发为免费提供的软件系统。NSF IUSE：EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生的STEM教育的有效性。通过参与的学生学习路径，该计划支持有前景的实践和工具的创建、探索和实施。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national interest by developing a system that will automatically detect coding mistakes made by students in programming classes. Providing rich, immediate feedback to students significantly improves learning outcomes resulting in better coding skills. Providing feedback in a timely manner using human graders is difficult due to rapidly increasing class sizes and instructor shortages. The goal of this project is to develop a system that can automatically provide high-quality feedback to students in introductory programming classes. Once developed, the system can be used by departments with limited resources to provide timely feedback to students. The result will be students with strong coding skills who will be ready to meet the current demand for programmers in the technology workforce.The project team will extend an existing system, WebTA, to study the common errors that are made by students in introductory programming courses. A mixed-methods approach will be used to evaluate the impacts of using WebTA as a learning tool in a first-year engineering course. The hypothesis is that this intervention will: (a) improve students’ computing skills, (b) improve students’ computing and engineering self-efficacy, and (c) enable students and instructors to converse in a common language around antipatterns. Students will use WebTA to engage in a tight learning cycle of coding, reflecting on feedback, and making changes. First-year instructors will assist in identifying and encoding novice antipatterns, resulting in a MATLAB antipattern library. The project team will partner with course instructors to embed the terminology and examples of antipatterns in their instructional materials. WebTA will be developed as a freely available software system. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.