AUTOMATIC ASSESSMENT OF ELEMENTARY STANDARD ML PROGRAMS USING CEILIDH

Ceilidh is an interactive environment which supports computer programm ing course organisation, practical work and assessment. This paper des cribes its use to support a first level programming course for the fun ctional language Standard ML. Automated program assessment systems are surveyed and the general Ceilidh approach to automatic assessment is discussed. Extensions to Ceilidh to assess Standard ML programs are co nsidered and an evaluation is made of the effects of its use on studen t learning. The main conclusion is that Ceilidh use significantly redu ces the burden of marking on the lecturer, while not affecting the ove rall level of achievement of the students.