Using Automated Marking in Programming Courses To Enhance Learning

Automated marking has been transforming programming education for years, and this chapter is a practical introduction to what it looks like in practice. Focusing on CodeRunner (a widely used Moodle plugin that runs student code against predefined test cases and returns instant feedback), the authors explain how to set up automated assessments, configure test cases, and customise the system for different languages and course contexts. The chapter draws on experience from the University of Strathclyde, where automated marking has been used across Computer Science and non-Computer Science courses at multiple undergraduate levels, and acknowledges both the benefits and the learning curve involved.

This chapter is for you if you are considering automated marking for the first time and want to hear the reality of implementing it, rather than a sales pitch. It is also useful if you already use automated tools and want to extend what you do, as the chapter covers advanced configurations and points to further resources. If your students are not computer scientists and have little prior experience of programming, the setting described by the authors will feel particularly familiar.