Automated Online Assessment and Cloud-Based Programming: Advancing Computer Engineering Education

Traditional teaching and learning methods in the field of Computer Engineering (CE) pose considerable obstacles for students and teachers in basic courses. These challenges are evident in programming projects, database-related tasks, or operating system-based assignments, as students often face delayed assessment and feedback. In addition, teachers must evaluate a range of submitted solutions while coping with the pen-and-paper context, subjective biases, fatigue, and lack of time. However, the undergraduate CE program at our institution has been purposefully redesigned by integrating specific software solutions into core courses. Using an automated online assessment system and a cloud-based programming platform, we have significantly improved the CE educational landscape and overcome the barriers of delayed feedback, biased evaluations, and complex development environment setups. We present two case studies demonstrating how the Online Judge and Google Colab tools have transformed the delivery of several key subjects, which may serve as motivation or an example to others looking to do the same.