Students can paste a complete solution into an editor in one keystroke. It might come from ChatGPT, a classmate, or Stack Overflow. Either way, the work you wanted them to do never happens.
CodeGrade now lets you do something about it. As of July 13, you can set a paste limit on any assignment that uses the in-browser code editor. You decide how much text students may paste at once, from a generous cap all the way down to blocking pasting entirely.
How it works
The setting lives in the assignment configuration, so you make the call per assignment, not per course.
- Set a paste size limit. Choose the maximum amount of text a student can paste in one go. Small snippets still work. Wholesale solutions do not.
- Or block pasting entirely. For assignments where every character should be typed, set the limit to zero.
- Or leave it off. Nothing changes for an assignment until you configure a limit. Existing assignments behave exactly as before.
- It applies inside the CodeGrade editor. The same browser-based editor students already use, embedded in Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, and Brightspace, with no extra software to install.
What this means for your course
Different assignments need different rules, and you hold the lever for each one.
In an intro course, typing the code is part of learning the code. A tight paste limit nudges students to engage with every line instead of shuttling text between tabs.
In a coding exam, a paste block adds one more layer to session lockdown, IP restrictions, and access passwords. A student cannot dump a prepared solution into the editor in one move.
In a project course, you might not want a limit at all. Reusing boilerplate is normal engineering. Leave pasting open where it makes sense. CodeGrade does not decide this for you. You do, per assignment.
What didn't change
Be clear about what this feature is: deterrence, not surveillance.
The limit applies to pasting inside the CodeGrade code editor. CodeGrade does not monitor the rest of the browser or the clipboard outside the editor. A determined student can still retype code they found elsewhere. That is why paste limits work best alongside plagiarism detection, which compares the structure of submissions across your class, and exam mode, which locks the CodeGrade session. For full browser lockdown, CodeGrade integrates with proctoring tools like Lockdown Browser.
The editor itself is unchanged. Same syntax highlighting, same autograder feedback inline, same zero-setup experience for students.
Try it
Paste limits are live now in the assignment configuration. Set one on your next assignment and see how it fits your course.
Start free. Free for courses up to 50 students. No trial, no expiration.
