CASE STUDY

WSU faculty use Codio's virtual machine architecture to design introductory programming courses

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How Codio is Used at Wright State University

Codio is used in a variety of praktikums and labs. Thus far, it is used primarily at the undergraduate level, but there are plans to expand across the department.

Because everything in Codio is a VM with an integrated IDE, a killer combination, we can configure assignments with any programming languages and components we choose. We can set it up to our own exact specification. Students can also create their coding projects needing nothing more than a browser.

We have made extensive use of the curriculum authoring tool, called Codio Guides, as a way of delivering instructional content. In addition, we can assess and monitor student progress.

Both auto and manual grading are extensively used to allow faculty to always have a clear overview of how students are progressing at all times. Codio’s instant access to student code is a key feature that faculty rely on to significantly streamline key student interactions.

There are many “student engagement and management” tools but none of these are subject specific. What sets Codio apart is its focus on CS. The student management and coding specific features give a unique experience when compared with anything else we have considered in the past, both for students and faculty.

Using Codio, we have reached a higher level of “feel” for student progress and gained far more insight than previously. In the past, we would require students keep a work journal and document what they did during project assignments. With the combination of progress monitoring tools and instant access to student VMs and code, we no longer have to do this, saving time and administrative work for both students and faculty. We can see everything they have done and are doing whenever we choose.

There have been many benefits to using Codio at WSU. Some of the benefits were clear to us before we adopted the platform. However, some of the most exciting benefits were rather unexpected and have led to new technology approaches.

The time saving for students and faculty is huge. For example, the killer combination of a VM with an integrated IDE and class monitoring tools means we no longer require students to keep a work journal to document their project assignments.

The time saving for students and faculty is huge.

Having become more experienced using Codio, we have developed methodologies that changed the way we teach.

In many classes, the lecturer now uses the classroom projector to show different student assignment projects as well as the lecturer’s own solution. This has led to a new and highly collaborative approach to classes where it is shown there are many valid and different solutions, and sometimes superior to the lecturer’s own solutions! We also discuss and diagnose problems with student solutions.

The benefits of a VM only became fully clear a little while later. Now, lecturers and TAs can design projects that allow them to monitor the progress in greater detail, track the command history and coding history to gain a far deeper understanding of the challenges faced by individuals and the class as a whole.

The strategic use of simple MCQ assessments, and their results clearly displayed in the Teacher Dashboard allows faculty to clearly see whether students are taking due care when reading the teaching materials properly and how fast they are moving through them. This has led to unprecedented insights into class behavior.

In the past, students did not get meaningful feedback until their assignments were turned in. Now, faculty can instantly review, compile and run student code when students ask for assistance or they want to review progress manually.

We now often show different example projects in a class to illustrate or reinforce concepts. Being able to pre-prepare these examples, no matter how different or complex each stack configuration, makes for a more engaging experience. Each example running in its own isolated environment and booting up in a couple of seconds enables us to do this seamlessly.