FURI | Spring 2025

Enhancing Operating Systems Courses through Automated Assessment

Operating systems (OS) courses are a core part of software engineering degrees that present unique challenges to students, primarily because they are the first time many students will tackle complex problems in a lower-level language like C. Current research in Automated Assessment Tools (AATs) is limited to entry-level courses. This research project outlines an AAT that extends the common unit test methodology used in AATs to make automated assessment of assignments in OS courses viable. This AAT leverages static analysis and instrumentation to accurately assess memory management and threading requirements in assignments, improving student outcomes and the accuracy of grades.