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Codio and Wright State University

Wright State faculty use Codio's virtual machine architecture to design introductory courses, delivering programming courses to non CS majors, on-campus and online.
Authored by:
Mateen Rizki
TOUCH
Mateen Rizki Chair of the Department of Computer Science and EngineeringProf. Rizki is the Chair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Wright State University. He is actively engaged in research in the fields of pattern recognition and bio-informatics. He teaches several programming courses at various levels.
Mateen Rizki Chair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Access to Student Code

Huge Time Savings with Codio

"With Codio, we have instant access to student VMs and code. The time saving for students and faculty is huge."
Mateen RizkiChair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, WSU

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Requirements

What we needed

 
With over 37,000 students and 70 computer science programs, we spend a six-figure sum each year on grading assignments. We needed a more efficient grading system, both cost and time wise. Additionally, students were not getting meaningful feedback until their assignments were turned in, so we needed a program to enhance student and faculty interaction, prioritizing instruction. Finally, we use the Desire2Learn LMS platform for managing students and classes and wanted something that would integrate smoothly and configures easily.
Cloud IDE
The ability to configure environments of any complexity that can be accessed as easily at home on students’ own PCs as on a lab PC. 
Grading Flexibility
Auto-graded questions and auto-graded code assessments & manual grading of project assignments
Instructor Access to Student Work
Ability to instantly access student code whenever required
Customizable VM
Each assignment is a full-powered VM that can be configured with any programming language, database, component, etc., even providing sudo level privileges
Level Ground for Students
Knowing that all students would start each assignment with the exact same configuration, no matter how complex
Prioritize Teaching, Not Tech Support
Being web-based, we didn’t have to act as support staff for students’ own laptops and this allows us to spend more time teaching
Background

Why we chose Codio

There are many “student engagement and management” tools but none  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 required 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. 
Benefits

Teaching with Codio

Courses Taught With Codio

  • Introductory Programming for CS Majors
  • Introductory Programming for Non-CS Majors
  • Operating System Concepts

 

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 projects as well as the lecturer’s own solution. This has led to new and highly collaborative approaches in classes with varied solutions.  With Codio's VM, 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. Additionally, the customization possible for class examples, no matter how complex the stack configuration makes for a more engaging experience. 

Achieve better learning outcomes

Schedule your personalized demo today to see how you can achieve the same level of success as Wright State University.
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Simplify Auto or Manual Grading

Streamline Faculty-Student Interactions

"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."
Mateen RizkiChair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Grading

Blending Manual and Auto-Grading with Codio

By converting many manually graded assignments into auto-graded coding assessments using Codio's auto-grading functionality, we fully expect to be able save tens of thousands of dollars. At least 80% of our auto-grade assessments take advantage of Codio’s “Standard Autograding” feature, a feature that was originally suggested by WSU, which enables code tests grading without needing to write a single line of testing code.

Within the Guides tutorial content we embed a series of simple questions that allows faculty to monitor student progress and  how thoroughly students are reading the subject matter, based on multiple choice and fill in the blank questions. This ability to monitor student engagement is especially useful in the context of the flipped classroom where students are expected to prepare for a class.

Future Plans for Codio

Going forward

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.

See how Codio helps you achieve better learning outcomes

Experience the Codio difference for yourself with a free proof-of-concept demo using your existing assignments or labs.

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