”I wish I could rank my exam's challenge level!”: An algorithm of Bloom's taxonomy in teaching CS1

Designing course activities in harmony with class assignments and tests while providing both adequate challenges and appropriate content progression is critical in introductory programming courses (CS1). Such fine-tuned practices help students build the right mindset to perform better and prevent potential discouragement due to disharmonious test challenges. In this study, we apply levels of the cognitive domain of Bloom's Taxonomy to determine the appropriate challenge level of test questions in CS1. Bloom's Taxonomy has been widely referenced by researchers as a benchmark for assessment of students' learning. Our proposed approach serves two purposes: 1) exposing students to a well-defined set of assessment tests to challenge them based on different levels of Bloom's Taxonomy; and 2) identifying the student's, difficulty areas to redesign and/or reorganize the class activities accordingly. For this purpose, a rubric is developed to classify questions based on cognitive domains of Bloom's Taxonomy. We applied the developed rubric to evaluate three semester tests and design a final exam. In designing the final test, we aim to challenge students' skills in a predetermined proportion and combination that maps onto the levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. After each test, students' problem areas were identified and related class activities were adjusted to address these weaknesses. Preliminary analysis of student grades shows the effectiveness of this method.