In this ongoing Research to Practice paper, we investigate the integration of a Coding Assessment Portal with an automatic grading system, implemented across two consecutive quarters for a large-scale introduction to programming course. Initially, our approach employed an on-demand standalone automatic grading system alongside a separate assignment submission portal on Canvas. Following thorough evaluation and specific student feedback, we integrated the assignment submission portal with the autograder system (Stepik) to facilitate real-time, objective assessment of assignments. The key outcome of this integration was a significant 20.5% increase in the class average of assignment scores, despite most test cases being hidden during evaluation. Notably, our approach also led to a notable reduction in the DFW (Drop/Fail/Withdraw) rate, decreasing it from 46% to 12.5%, and a substantial 22% increase in the passing rate among female students. Moreover, in the second iteration of the course, elective students demonstrated comparable or better performance than those taking it as a requirement. Additionally, the autograder system proved beneficial in enhancing students' code quality.Furthermore, our research addresses concerns regarding source code plagiarism in computer science education. We developed a plagiarism detection tool tailored for Python programming languages, utilizing a three-step process: tokenization, N-Gram representation, and comparison via the Greedy String Tiling method. Our tool achieves a response time of one minute for fifty source code documents, each consisting of seventy-five lines of code (LOC). Feedback from educators who utilized our tool in graduate computing programs has been overwhelmingly positive, reporting accuracy rates of 99%. This tool effectively supports educators in monitoring and maintaining academic integrity by identifying instances of plagiarism in student code submissions. We firmly believe that our approach not only evaluates students' true abilities but also significantly aids educators in ensuring fair assessment practices and fostering a conducive learning environment.

Coding Assessment Portal, automatic grading system, real-time assessment, DFW rate, source code plagiarism, tokenization, N-Gram representation, Greedy String Tiling, academic integrity, Python programming.