Enhancing interaction and feedback collection in a first-semester computer science course poses a significant challenge due to students' diverse needs and engagement levels. To address this issue, we created and integrated a command-based chatbot on the course communication server on Discord. The DiscordBot enables students to provide feedback on course activities through short surveys, such as exercises, quizzes, and lectures, facilitating stress-free communication with instructors. It also supports attendance tracking and introduces lectures before they start. The research demonstrates the effectiveness of the DiscordBot as a communication tool. The ongoing feedback allowed course instructors to dynamically adjust and improve the difficulty level of upcoming activities and promote discussion in subsequent tutor sessions. The data collected reveal that students can accurately perceive the activities' difficulty and expected results, providing insights not possible through traditional end-of-semester surveys. Students reported that interaction with the DiscordBot was easy and expressed a desire to continue using it in future semesters. This responsive approach ensures the course meets the evolving needs of students, thereby enhancing their overall learning experience.

This course consists of lectures, exercises involving multiple-choice tests (MyCourse Quizzes), and a student project which will be peer-graded. You can freely collect points via the various course activities (quizzes and/or projects). In particular, you can reach the top grade solely by achieving full points in the multiple-choice tests or via the student project. There is no minimum requirement for any of the course activities. Thus you can freely decide where (quizzes and/or student project) to collect points.