CodeGrade at University of Liverpool (original) (raw)

Patrick Totzke is a professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Liverpool, where he teaches an introductory course in object-oriented programming. With around 400 first-year students each year, managing assignments and grading at scale has always been a priority. For the past four years, Patrick has relied on CodeGrade to simplify grading, enhance feedback, and create a more engaging learning experience for students.

Challenges Before CodeGrade

Patrick’s course transitions students from introductory Python or Haskell to Java. With such a large class size, grading assignments manually was overwhelming, even with previous autograding solutions. He also faced a growing challenge: designing assignments that couldn’t be easily solved using generative AI. While assignments are currently take-home, he’s considering shifting to shorter, in-person coding assignments to enhance learning. The usual take-home exercises will still be used, although their weight will be decreased.

Before CodeGrade, Patrick spent significant time managing grading logistics and troubleshooting submission issues. However, once CodeGrade was introduced, the process became much more streamlined. Everything is now graded automatically, giving students immediate feedback and allowing instructors to focus on higher-value feedback—reviewing code, adding inline comments, and providing meaningful insights beyond the automated assessments.

A New Approach to Feedback

One of the biggest transformations CodeGrade brought to Patrick’s course was in feedback delivery. The autograder handles the bulk of grading, ensuring fairness and consistency, while instructors use the freed-up time to focus on deeper engagement with student work.

“We are not the bad cops... we are helping them across the line,” Patrick explained. Instead of spending all their time marking assignments, instructors now guide students toward better coding practices and deeper understanding.

This structured feedback approach has led to a noticeable shift in student engagement. Instead of waiting days for results, students can quickly iterate on their work, learning from mistakes in real time.

How Students Feel About It

The instant feedback provided by CodeGrade has been a game-changer for students. Patrick noted that initially, some students were skeptical about automated grading. However, they soon realized that this system wasn’t about making grading impersonal—it was about making it more effective and responsive. “The speed of feedback is good for them”, Patrick said.

Many students have expressed how working in CodeGrade makes learning more engaging and less frustrating. They appreciate being able to tweak their code and improve iteratively. Compared to other courses without CodeGrade, they find the experience far more rewarding. “I have many students expressing how amazing it is to use CodeGrade for their submissions,” Patrick shared.

Standout Features That Made a Big Impact

For Patrick, the biggest advantage of CodeGrade is its autograder—it ensures quick, consistent, and fair grading, which is crucial for large classes. But beyond that, ease of use for both students and instructors has been a major factor in its success.

“It’s just flashy, it’s nice, and students just like the look of it,” Patrick said. With an intuitive interface, students spend less time troubleshooting issues with the submission system and more time focusing on their work. “We spend less time explaining the basic mechanism of making a submission”, he notes.

For instructors, CodeGrade has been adopted easily, regardless of different levels of technical expertise. As more instructors get on board, the experience becomes more seamless for students - they are already used to the system. “This is awesome, I like it a lot... super fast,” was a common sentiment from students who appreciated the streamlined experience.

Patrick also highlighted the benefit of CodeGrade’s direct API access and open-source foundations. This flexibility allows instructors to customize the platform to meet specific needs.

Another standout benefit? The support team.

“The support is so great—that’s a massive feature, by the way!” Patrick noted. The responsiveness of the CodeGrade team has made implementation and troubleshooting seamless, ensuring that both students and educators get the most out of the platform.

Final Thoughts

Patrick’s experience highlights how CodeGrade goes beyond just automating grading—it enhances the entire learning experience. By providing instant feedback, freeing up instructors to give more meaningful guidance, and offering a seamless user experience, CodeGrade has become an essential tool in the University of Liverpool’s computer science courses.

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