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Ask Slashdot: Should Coding Exams Be Given on Paper?
Slashdot reader Qbertino is pursuing a comp sci degree -- and got a surprise during the last exam: being asked to write code on paper.
Not that I'd expect an IDE -- it's an exam after all -- but being able to use a screen and a keyboard with a very simple editor should be standard at universities these days... I find this patently absurd in 2018...
What do you think and what are your recent experiences with exams at universities? Is this still standard? What's the point besides annoying students? Did I miss something?
A similar question was asked on Slashdot 16 years ago -- but apparently nothing has changed since 2002.
Leave your best answers in the comments. Should coding exams be given on paper?
What do you think and what are your recent experiences with exams at universities? Is this still standard? What's the point besides annoying students? Did I miss something?
A similar question was asked on Slashdot 16 years ago -- but apparently nothing has changed since 2002.
Leave your best answers in the comments. Should coding exams be given on paper?
You are going for a computer science degree. You must be able to express your ideas on paper, a white board, napkin, back of your hand, ....anywhere.
The poster apparently needs to transfer to a code monkey program.
I hear DeGree Mill will take anyone with the $$$$ or student loans.
Not that I'd expect an IDE -- it's an exam after all -- but being able to use a screen and a keyboard with a very simple editor should be standard at universities these days... I find this patently absurd in 2018...
Yes you know better than the university when it comes to evaluating your skills. And I find you patently annoying.
I graduated in early 2000s myself. The finals were all on paper. I had a lot of programming related classes. 3-4 of those 2+ hour tests back to back.
Writing small apps, quick sorts, manipulating data structures, you name it. As much as hundreds or even thousands of lines of code handwritten over the course of a few days, every year. My finger had a mark from the pen. And if you made a mistake, not all professors were ok with just drawing arrows to "insert" code, so there was a lot of starting over too.
The challenge in those exams was not figuring out the solution. It was writing it down. I still have nightmares from it to this day.
"Computer Science and Software Development" graduate of 2004 here,
To the question asked: "Should Coding Exams Be Given on Paper?"
Yes.
Does "Coding Exams" mean "being asked to write code on paper"?
No.
The majority of the "coding" portion of my classes was evaluated through assignments, and practical classes.
The exams ask specific things to test your knowledge, and didn't require "writing a program on paper", and if they did, only asked for psuedo-code, not something that would compile.
This question is pointless.
I don't know about the author's instructor or course, but there's generally a point to this.
* Can the student write a correct algorithm, bug-free without the crutch of running the code. Running code often leads to writing code by trial-and-error without much thinking.
* Does the student know the language well enough to write code without the suggestions of an IDE?
* Avoid all technology problems. My computer crashed. My battery's dead. I accidentally deleted the file. I have the wrong version installed.
There are a lot of rules to make sure that exams are fair, auditable and so that it requires at least a modicum of effort to cheat. The University is likely set up so that all exams are paper so setting new rules for one or two classes is going to be an uphill fight at the best of times. Specific issues you will need to resolve:
1. How do you prevent people cheating (USB sticks, Bluetooth, getting access to the Internet, etc.)? Who's time is going to be used to set this up and enforce it?
2. What if someone's computer crashes? What happens if they accidentally knock the reset switch (I have seen this happen in a "practical exam" of this sort)? What if they "accidentally" knock the reset switch?
3. How do you support students who use assisstive technology on computers (screen readers, specific high-visibility colour desktop designs, desktops in other languages, etc.)? How do you deal with students who sent skieing in the holiday before the exams and broke both arms (again, I have seen this -- and we sorted it out)?
4. Where do you draw the line on "reasonable" support? Text editor? IDE? IDE with documentation? IDE with documentation including code samples?
Critically : it depends on what you are trying to assess. I've had interviews where they want code written on the whiteboard -- how is this different?
but it's sort of a moot point since a real computer science curriculum is mostly about math and math can be done on paper just fine.
I suppose if we still had programming vocational schools, but between the H1-Bs and the offshoring they're really just scams at this point. You can count the number of jobs available for that kind of code monkey on one hand of a retired shop teacher.
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I've tried this all ways: on paper, computers allowed for help (use your IDE, why not, but answers on paper), and I have some quizzes that are purely on the computer. There are two issues to consider here:
- First, and most obviously: cheating. As soon as you allow student-owned electronics, you open the door to connectivity. If not WLAN, than via mobile phones or ad hoc networks or even bluetooth. This is very difficult to control, and is the primary reason that my school still officially prohibits electronics during exams.
- Second, if you're going to allow a computer, you had just as well allow an IDE and make it more "real world". The thing is, this makes exams more difficult for all but the best students. People who are not (yet) very good a programming might be able to show a believable (but uncompilable) concept on paper, and get reasonable partial credit. As soon as they have a computer, it is natural to expect a program to run. The poorer students will lose lots of time trying to get their program to actually work, and are therefore more likely to fail such an exam.
For the last point: I'm not sure this is bad. Personally, I think the world needs a lot fewer mediocre and lousy programmers. However, while that would improve overall software quality, it would mean less code written overall and make software even more expensive than it is.
Enjoy life! This is not a dress rehearsal.
Years ago, at Georgia State U a couple of us going for MS degrees had to take the C++ programming course.
My classmate had an MS EE and had over decade of C++ programming experience. I had a similar amount.
Both of us tried to get out of having to take it and showed our resumes with our years of experience.
Nope. We HAD to have a class in it from an accredited school.
I sat back, did my assignments and only participated when called upon. My classmate had a tendency to point out the instructors (Ph.D. CS) where he was wrong.
Easiest 'A' I have ever got - but pissed at the money I had to spend for the complete waste of time.
So, yes, sometimes we DO know better.
Good times.
Are taught to write their code away from a computer. It leads to better code. If you can't code away from the machine, you can't code on the machine.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)