Full-stack web development for auto-assessment platform

Abstract

In the recent decade, prevalence of technology has increased the adoption of online assessment platforms. The popularity of these platforms among students and graders is the result of convenience, consistency, and accuracy. Furthermore, the serious outbreak of the Covid-19 global pandemic forced many institutions to accept modern technology to facilitate learning. At Nanyang Technological University (NTU), the in-house Auto-Assessment Platform (AASP) was built to serve as an alternative to in-person examinations and tests so that students and invigilators do not have to gather at a physical venue. It had basic functionalities of an online coding platform. However, AASP was insufficient to be an alternative or a substitute to in- person assessments. There was an absence of proctoring to enforce a monitored and strict test environment. Hence, AASP was deemed not ready to be used for actual University assessments. To make AASP production-ready, proctoring features were designed and implemented. Educators and lab assistants can now monitor assessment sessions through snapshots of students taken at random intervals during their assessment attempt. Students’ behaviour and environment throughout the assessment will be recorded and can be reviewed after the attempts are completed. Cheating can also be deterred and prevented by having auto force submission if unusual browser tab switching has been identified. Examinations and tests can now be conducted and proctored remotely without requiring students and invigilators to gather at a physical venue. To ensure AASP student accounts are more secure, email features were added for the ease of disseminating securely and randomly generated passwords upon student account creation and password reset. Information on published assessment is also conveniently made available to students via email.