[Cobalt-general] Setting up Student tests: request for an HOWTO

[Jobling C.P. <C.P...@sw...>]

How does one set up a programming exercise for a student? The documentation
describes how the database is informed of a test but details are scant as to
how the actual Java code is tested. 

 

Presumably a teacher would need to devise some Java test class that
exercises the student's code but what form does this take. Where is it
located? How is BOSS/Cobalt made aware of it. Where is the link established
between the test code and the assignment?

 

Let's say that my first exercise is "hello world" and I want to have my
students write a class

 

class Hello

{   String sayHello()

    {   return "Hello, World!";

    }

}

 

A suitable test would be:

 

class HelloTest

{   public static void main(String[] args)

    {   Hello h = new Hello();

        String test = n.sayHello();

        if ("Hello, World!".equals(test))

           System.out.println("Test passes");

        else

           System.out.println("Test fails");

     }

}

 

Taking this example, could you possibly tell us how BOSS actually would be
set up to mark a solution to the Hello class. I'm sure it would help
everyone who is evaluating BOSS.

 

Chris

 

Dr Chris P. Jobling [C.P...@Sw...] School of Engineering
University of Wales Swansea, Singleton park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK.

Tel: +44 1792 295580; Fax: +44 1792 295686

WWW: http:/www-ee.swan.ac.uk/DeptEEE/People/cv/cpj.html
<http://www-ee.swan.ac.uk/DeptEEE/People/cv/cpj.html>