This issue is used to discuss and document the idea and progress of adding Theia as a full online IDE in Artemis. There are other issues tackling individual tasks.
[x] #8639
[ ] Add Course-Wide Online IDE Settings
[ ] #8785
Feature Proposal
Spec Version 0.2.0
Context
Problem
The currently existing online code editor in Artemis is a great tool for beginners to jump into programming exercises.
Although it is beneficial for beginners and lowers their starting barriers, the functionality becomes increasingly limited for more advanced problem statements and use cases. Users cannot access any debugger, install useful plugins, or leverage the help of automatic formatters and linters. Consequently, they transition from the online editor to a locally installed, full-fledged integrated development environment (IDE).
Due to multiple courses per semester, students often need to switch between different IDEs, forcing them to learn their way around multiple environments for the various types of exercises. Moreover, the local coding setup must manage numerous dependencies and projects at the same time, which can lead to incompatibilities between required plugins and extensions. With a local installation, there is no guarantee that the IDE is set up correctly or that the student has not installed any forbidden plugins or extensions.
Especially for K-12 (high school) or young university students, setting up those systems is a daunting onboarding task required before even starting with the challenging course content. They see themselves con- fronted with new and foreign topics like a build system, software plugins, different programming languages, and even the concept of an IDE.
Motivation
Early success and content mastery are pivotal aspects of students’ motivation. The Artemis online code editor supports this by allowing students to jump into the exercise without further setup. However, this approach does not represent the complex environments encountered in more advanced courses or the industry, which typically require an IDE. It is essential to constructively align educational experiences with real-world practices to effectively develop, train, and assess student skills. Setting up a configured IDE can be daunting for young university attendees or K-12 students, raising the barrier to start programming.
Requirements Engineering
Existing (Problematic) Solution / System
Currently, an integrated online code editor ensures a low-barrier entry into technical exercises, particularly for those less familiar with technology or computer science. Unfortunately, it does lack important features like a debugger, linting, and formatting and is not constructively aligned with the future working environment of students.
Proposed System
Implement the online IDE Theia as an optional alternative to the currently existing online code editor in Artemis. Theia mimics the capabilities and looks of the general-purpose IDE Visual Studio Code (VSC) but does not require any download. Consequently, students profit from simplified onboarding as well as advanced functionalities like formatting, linting, and a dedicated debugger.
We propose to implement the following changes:
Add a new button in the exercise workflow to allow students to open Theia
Allow instructors to choose from predefined Theia-Blueprints to select, e.g., the fitting programming language for their course
Implement OpenID Connect (SSO) into the Artemis user management subsystem
Integrate connection to Theia for passing on existing or new SSO authentication information - this will provide secure and authenticated Theia access
Evaluate, test, and optimize the performance and limits of the system in order to prepare for productive use in tutorials and examinations. This could include pre-warming Theia's execution environments.
Requirements
Describe the Functional and Non-Functional Requirements of the feature. Stick to the INVEST methodology!
This issue is used to discuss and document the idea and progress of adding Theia as a full online IDE in Artemis. There are other issues tackling individual tasks.
Feature Proposal
Context
Problem
The currently existing online code editor in Artemis is a great tool for beginners to jump into programming exercises. Although it is beneficial for beginners and lowers their starting barriers, the functionality becomes increasingly limited for more advanced problem statements and use cases. Users cannot access any debugger, install useful plugins, or leverage the help of automatic formatters and linters. Consequently, they transition from the online editor to a locally installed, full-fledged integrated development environment (IDE). Due to multiple courses per semester, students often need to switch between different IDEs, forcing them to learn their way around multiple environments for the various types of exercises. Moreover, the local coding setup must manage numerous dependencies and projects at the same time, which can lead to incompatibilities between required plugins and extensions. With a local installation, there is no guarantee that the IDE is set up correctly or that the student has not installed any forbidden plugins or extensions. Especially for K-12 (high school) or young university students, setting up those systems is a daunting onboarding task required before even starting with the challenging course content. They see themselves con- fronted with new and foreign topics like a build system, software plugins, different programming languages, and even the concept of an IDE.
Motivation
Early success and content mastery are pivotal aspects of students’ motivation. The Artemis online code editor supports this by allowing students to jump into the exercise without further setup. However, this approach does not represent the complex environments encountered in more advanced courses or the industry, which typically require an IDE. It is essential to constructively align educational experiences with real-world practices to effectively develop, train, and assess student skills. Setting up a configured IDE can be daunting for young university attendees or K-12 students, raising the barrier to start programming.
Requirements Engineering
Existing (Problematic) Solution / System
Currently, an integrated online code editor ensures a low-barrier entry into technical exercises, particularly for those less familiar with technology or computer science. Unfortunately, it does lack important features like a debugger, linting, and formatting and is not constructively aligned with the future working environment of students.
Proposed System
Implement the online IDE Theia as an optional alternative to the currently existing online code editor in Artemis. Theia mimics the capabilities and looks of the general-purpose IDE Visual Studio Code (VSC) but does not require any download. Consequently, students profit from simplified onboarding as well as advanced functionalities like formatting, linting, and a dedicated debugger.
We propose to implement the following changes:
Requirements