Enhancing Competency-Based Programming Education with Coducate

Competency-based teaching emphasizes both knowledge acquisition and skill application in real-world contexts. In programming education, this approach is critical, as students must develop technical competencies such as algorithmic thinking, data analysis, and AI, alongside problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration. Live coding is a key pedagogical strategy for fostering these skills, as it allows instructors to model problem-solving in real time. However, it presents challenges, requiring instructors to code, explain concepts, debug, and engage students simultaneously.

To enhance live coding, we propose Coducate, an AI-enhanced code editor extension designed to support instructors by integrating:
– AI-driven code suggestions to reduce cognitive load and help instructors focus on pedagogical aspects rather than syntax.
– Embedded instructor notes for improved session organization and continuity.
– Real-time student collaboration tools to foster interactive learning and participation.
Coducate strengthens competency-based teaching by improving instructional effectiveness, student engagement, and structured learning. Future development will further explore AI integration while ensuring correctness and verifiability, preserving live coding’s fundamental teaching principles. By bridging computational competency development and effective pedagogy, Coducate aligns with the ETH Competence Framework, enabling students to build computational competencies interactively.

– Further develop and enhance Coducate to improve live coding efficiency and collaboration. We aim to introduce and refine several key features that streamline instructor workflows and enhance student engagement. Planned improvements include: AI-assisted coding support: Enhancing the AI-driven code suggestion system to further reduce cognitive load for instructors, allowing them to focus
– Deploy Coducate on a scalable web server under its own domain. To facilitate wider adoption and usability, Coducate needs to be hosted on a scalable web server with a dedicated domain. This will involve: Server infrastructure: Setting up a robust backend to handle multiple concurrent users, ensuring stable performance even in large classroom settings. Domain registration and hosting: Hosting the tool under its own domain. Data management: Implementing efficient and secure handling of session data. Scalability considerations
– Gather student and instructor feedback to refine Coducate and better tailor it to their needs. Continuous improvement of Coducate requires iterative feedback loops with both students and instructors. This will be achieved through: User surveys and interviews: Conducting structured feedback sessions to identify pain points and areas of improvement. In-class observations: Monitoring how Coducate is used in real-time to assess usability and engagement. TA and instructor consultations: Collecting insights from teaching assistants and lecturers to ensure the tool aligns with pedagogical needs. Feedback-driven feature development: Using collected data to prioritize and implement the most requested enhancements.
– Conduct a larger study in a real classroom setting to assess Coducate’s impact on live coding sessions. To validate Coducate’s effectiveness and measure its impact on learning outcomes, a structured study will be conducted in real classroom environments. This study will focus on: Comparing learning outcomes: Analyzing how Coducate affects student comprehension, participation, and retention compared to traditional live coding methods. Student engagement metrics: Measuring student interaction levels, contribution frequency, and collaborative problem-solving effectiveness. Instructor experience assessment: Evaluating how Coducate influences instructors› workload and overall teaching efficiency. System usability testing: Using standardized usability assessments (e.g., System Usability Scale (SUS)).

– Students develop programming skills through live coding and active participation. An anonymous mode lowers participation barriers, and a distraction-free web interface ensures focus without requiring software installation. They can join remotely, collaborate in real time, and download code for review after class, eliminating the need for excessive note-taking.

– AI-driven code suggestions reduce cognitive load and help instructors to focus on pedagogical aspects rather than syntax, while in-editor notes improve organization and continuity but also speed up the coding process.

– The tool provides a scalable solution for multiple courses and is adaptable for both lectures and exercise sessions.

Here is the link to our tool:

https://coducate.live/