Testing code comprehension using GenAI

Tools

Goodfellow, Martin and Booth, Robbie and Fagan, Andrew and Lambert, Alasdair; McNeill, Fiona and Alexandru, Cristina and Sentance, Sue and Cutts, Quintin, eds. (2025) Testing code comprehension using GenAI. In: UKICER '25: Proceedings of the 2025 Conference on UK and Ireland Computing Education Research. ACM, GBR, p. 1. ISBN 979-8-4007-2078-9 (https://doi.org/10.1145/3754508.3754532)

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Abstract

Code comprehension refers to the ability to read, understand, and explain code effectively. While students may successfully complete introductory programming assignments, they often do so without fully grasping the underlying code, which can lead to difficulties in more advanced classes. This work presents our approach to addressing this challenge through targeted interventions that assess students’ comprehension using personalised, AI-generated questions. We share insights from a pilot study conducted to gather initial student feedback on the effectiveness of this method.

ORCID iDs

Goodfellow, Martin ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2151-8442, Booth, Robbie, Fagan, Andrew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9714-2096 and Lambert, Alasdair ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9762-2193; McNeill, Fiona, Alexandru, Cristina, Sentance, Sue and Cutts, Quintin
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)