arXiv subjects

Géraldine Brieven

Publications and source records attributed to Géraldine Brieven.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

CAFÉ, an automated feedback tool to approach Formal Methods

We present CAFÉ, a learning platform designed to introduce computer science students to Formal Methods (FM). CAFÉ aims to scaffold students' structural thinking (in contrast with operational thinking) by promoting the practice of Graphical Loop Invariant Based Programming (GLIBP). In the GLIBP approach, students solve loop-based problems by first constructing a Graphical Loop Invariant (GLI) before deriving the corresponding code. The GLI is an informal diagrammatic representation of the loop invariant. It illustrates the variables involved in the loop, their properties, and the relationships between them. To enable automated feedback, students complete a blank GLI, a box-based version of the GLI. Beyond evaluating the code students submit, CAFÉ provides personalized feedback on students' GLI and its alignment with the code. In this demo, we walk through CAFE from both a student's and a teacher's perspective. We show how the tool supports GLI design and provides feedback. We then present how a teacher can encode programming challenges together with a corresponding blank GLI.

cs.SE↗

arXiv2023

Training Students' Abstraction Skills Around a CAFÉ 2.0

Shaping first year students' mind to help them master abstraction skills is as crucial as it is challenging. Although abstraction is a key competence in problem-solving (in particular in STEM disciplines), students are often found to rush that process because they find it hard and do not get any direct outcome out of it. They prefer to invest their efforts directly in a concrete ground, rather than using abstraction to create a solution. To overcome that situation, in the context of our CS1 course, we implemented a tool called CAFÉ 2.0. It allows students to actively and regularly practice (thanks to a longitudinal activity) their abstraction skills through a graphical programming methodology. Moreover, further than reviewing students' final implementation, CAFÉ 2.0 produces a personalized feedback on how students modeled their solution, and on how consistent it is with their final code. This paper describes CAFÉ 2.0 in a general setting and also provides a concrete example in our CS1 course context. This paper also assesses students' interaction with CAFÉ 2.0 through perception and participation data. Finally, we explain how CAFÉ 2.0 could extended in another context than a CS1 course.

cs.CY↗