Pex4Fun: Teaching and learning computer science via social gaming

Nikolai Tillmann, Jonathan De Halleux, Tao Xie

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Pex4Fun from Microsoft Research is a web-based serious gaming environment for teaching computer science. Pex4Fun can be used to teach and learn computer programming at many levels, from high school all the way through graduate courses. With Pex4Fun, a student edits code in any browser - with Intellisense - and Pex4Fun executes it and analyzes it in the cloud. Pex4Fun connects teachers, curriculum authors, and students in a unique social experience, tracking and streaming progress updates in real time. In particular, Pex4Fun finds interesting and unexpected input values that help students understand what their code is actually doing. The real fun starts with coding duels where students write code to implement a teacher's specification. Pex4Fun finds any discrepancies in behavior between the student's code and the specification. This tutorial equips participants with skills and knowledge of using Pex4Fun in teaching and learning, such as solving puzzles, solving coding duels, exploring course materials in feature courses, creating and teaching a course, creating and publishing coding duels, and learning advanced topics behind Pex4Fun.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication2011 24th IEEE-CS Conference on Software Engineering Education and Training, CSEE and T 2011 - Proceedings
Pages546-548
Number of pages3
DOIs
StatePublished - 2011
Externally publishedYes
Event2011 24th IEEE-CS Conference on Software Engineering Education and Training, CSEE and T 2011, Co-located with the 33rd International Conference on Software Engineering, ICSE - Waikiki, Honolulu, HI, United States
Duration: May 22 2011May 24 2011

Publication series

Name2011 24th IEEE-CS Conference on Software Engineering Education and Training, CSEE and T 2011 - Proceedings

Other

Other2011 24th IEEE-CS Conference on Software Engineering Education and Training, CSEE and T 2011, Co-located with the 33rd International Conference on Software Engineering, ICSE
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityWaikiki, Honolulu, HI
Period5/22/115/24/11

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Software
  • Education

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