Assessment for Computer Programming Courses: A Short Guide for the Undecided Teacher

As the large number of articles on teaching introductory programming seem to attest, teaching and learning computer programming is difficult. However, perhaps surprisingly, the assessment design for those courses does not seem to be the most studied aspect. This short position paper provides a structured set of options and alternatives to consider when choosing the assessment elements for a programming course. The objective is to promote additional reflection on several alternatives for each assignment, exam, or other assessment elements. Along with this presentation, we point to eventually valuable references. We believe the resulting information should be helpful and applicable to many other disciplines, but the focus is on computer programming courses.