Regression Verification for Automated Evaluation of Students Programs

Milena Vujošević Janičić1 and Filip Marić1

  1. University of Belgrade, Faculty of Mathematics, Studentski trg 16
    11000 Belgrade, Serbia
    {milena,filip}@matf.bg.ac.rs

Abstract

Regression verification is a form of software verification based on formal static analysis of code, which is used, since recently, in several domains. In this paper we examine potentials of using it in one novel domain — in automated evaluation of students programs. We propose an approach that provides precise assessment of functional correctness of student programs (while it does not address nor affect the teaching methodology). We describe our open-source, publicly available implementation of the approach, which is built on top of the compiler infrastructure LLVM and the software verification tool LAV. The results of evaluating the proposed approach on two real-world corpora of student programs and on a number of classic algorithms show that the proposed approach can be used as a precise and reliable supplementary technique in grading of student programs at introductory programming courses, algorithms courses and programming competitions.

Key words

software verification, regression verification, automated evaluation of student programs, computer-supported education

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.2298/CSIS181220019V

Publication information

Volume 17, Issue 1 (January 2020)
Year of Publication: 2020
ISSN: 2406-1018 (Online)
Publisher: ComSIS Consortium

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How to cite

Janičić, M. V., Marić, F.: Regression Verification for Automated Evaluation of Students Programs. Computer Science and Information Systems, Vol. 17, No. 1, 205-228. (2020), https://doi.org/10.2298/CSIS181220019V