For the April Melbourne Online Showcase I presented our Ed Discussion Coding Challenge activities and three key components of our learning design.
I discussed how coding challenges begin with clear purpose and task descriptions sourced from Canvas, including learning outcomes, acceptance criteria, and example inputs and outputs. I explained how scaffolding files provide structure through starter files with minimal boilerplate and marked TODOs, accompanied by unit tests, sample input files, and helper libraries. I noted that hints and progressive prompts sit in separate files, allowing learners to uncover them incrementally without revealing complete solutions.
I covered the solutions reveal mechanism, which exposes solution files that run and pass all tests when activated. These solutions pair code with explanations walking through approach, complexity, trade-offs, and common pitfalls, with key lines highlighted and annotations explaining design choices. I discussed the pedagogical thinking behind these choices and mentioned that instructors can control reveal behaviour through instant, time-locked, or optional settings, and that explanations include diagnostics and links to related resources.
I introduced the Replay feature, which records edit-and-run history as a timeline of snapshots. This allows learners to step through each compilation run, review test results, inspect code states, and revisit console output. I explained how filters enable viewing only failing runs or regressions, and how run logs can be exported for reflection or assessment purposes.
Shoutouts! - MO showcase
Leigh presented on the work that was done to put together Ed Discussions.
LD team Newsletter 27 April, 2026
