A Better Programming Teaching Tool - An Interactive Teaching Platform with Course Management, Real-Time Insights and AI-Generated Hints

Abstract

Learning to program presents significant challenges for beginners, not only due to technical hurdles, such as installing and configuring development environments, but also from the cognitive demands of mastering unfamiliar concepts and problemsolving strategies. These difficulties are often amplified in educational settings, where teachers frequently need to assist students with repetitive setup issues or answer similar conceptual questions. This thesis presents the design and implementation of a web-based application that aims to lower the entry barrier to programming by allowing students to write and execute code directly in the browser without any installation. The platform features real-time task submission, automated progress tracking, and AI-generated subgoals and hints that are tailored to each student’s progress. Teachers can create and manage tasks, monitor student performance, and adapt content to meet students needs. Through the integration of a user-friendly interface, performance analytics, and controlled AI assistance, the platform aims to reduce the repetitive workload for teachers, foster a healthy and pedagogically sound relationship with AI among students, and ultimately provide a more efficient and effective programming education environment.