Practice of Tutoring Support System Based on Impasse Detection for Face-to-Face and On-Demand Programming Exercises

Abstract

The trial-and-error process by which learners solve problems is crucial in programming exercises. However, in actual practice, potential impasse learners are sometimes left in a predicament in proceeding with the designated task, which results in these learners' disengagement. Recently, in addition to face-to-face, online and on-demand exercises are increasingly becoming common in combinations. It became challenging for teachers/TAs to observe learners' situations for their exercises in the classroom and/or outside the classroom. In this study, we propose a tutoring support system with learners' impasse detection, assuming that the system is commonly used for face-to-face, and on-demand programming exercises. We applied this system to a programming lecture/exercise. We discussed the practicality and challenges of the tutoring support system with impasse detection in direct and on-demand based on the results of learners' impasse conditions detected by the system.