Algorithm Question Type

A quiz question in which the student draws an algorithm as a flowchart and can run it before submitting. With tests, the answer is graded automatically.

Live demo: try the plugin on algorithm.tsp.edu.rs. Log in as a guest, or use the demo accounts teacher and student (password Demo-2026). Everything is reset every night.

What's New in v2.14.0

Parsons problems: students get the blocks of the teacher's solution in a random order, with loops and branches empty and up to five extra blocks with a small mistake, and arrange and nest them. The answer is graded with the tests like any other, and the order is kept in the attempt.
In the attempt (tiny_algorithm 2.10 to 2.14): students step back through their algorithm with a timeline, watch their arrays as bars, measure how fast it grows and can paste Python code to make the diagram.
Requires tiny_algorithm 2.14.0 or later.

Core features

Draw the algorithm: the same editor as in TinyMCE, with Run / Step, variable watch and generated code.
Runnable review: the teacher can run and step through the submitted diagram while grading.
Automatic grading: the teacher enters only the test inputs; the expected outputs are computed from the teacher's solution. Without tests the answer is graded manually.
Flexible tests: weights, function tests that call one function, comparison options (capital letters, spaces, a tolerance for numbers), hints and several tries, statistics per test.
Hidden tests and required structures: If, For, While, Do loop, array, matrix.
Analyse an algorithm: put an interactive diagram in the question text (needs filter_algorithm).

The algorithm plugins

Algorithm (flowchart): the flowchart editor in TinyMCE, with the interpreter and code generation.
Algorithm viewer (Run / Step): Run / Step for readers and the student features in any content.
Algorithm question type (this plugin): quiz questions graded automatically with tests.

Requirements

Moodle: 4.5 LTS to 5.3 (PHP as required by your Moodle version; tested on all of them).
tiny_algorithm: version 2.9.0 or newer; filter_algorithm is optional (interactive diagrams in question text).

Privacy

The student's answer is stored by the Moodle question engine like any other answer; the diagram runs in the browser and, for automatic grading, on your Moodle server; nothing is sent to external services. Test inputs and options are stored with the question. The plugin implements the Moodle Privacy API.

Developed by Boban Blagojević. Languages: English and Serbian (Latin and Cyrillic).
Source, documentation and issue tracker: github.com/blagojevicboban/moodle-qtype_algorithm
Licensed under the GNU GPL v3 or later.