Algorithms courses are a foundational part of an undergraduate computer science degree that require abstract thinking and creativity and are known to be challenging for many students. Recently researchers have been developing auto-graded tools to scaffold students through the problem-solving process. We examine students’ perceptions of such a tool in a required upper-division Algorithms course at a R1 University. The goal of the tool is to improve students’ experience in three ways: (1) help students break down the problem-solving process into clear steps; (2) increase students’ self-efficacy by raising their confidence and understanding of the material; (3) have low “cost”, by being easy to use, enjoyable, and a good use of students’ time. The tool itself is designed to provide these benefits to students at every level of mastery through instantaneous feedback over increasingly challenging problems. Based on a survey of almost 1000 students across four semesters, each with a different instructor, we examine whether student feedback is favorable over all four offerings, and for groups of students with different course outcomes. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, we found that across each of the four semesters and across letter grades A, B, and C, students favored the tool as compared to written homework.