Changing Students' Perceptions: An Analysis of the Supplementary Benefits of Collaborative Software Development

Collaborative work has been in use as an instructional tool to increase student understanding through collaborative learning and to improve student performance in computer science courses. However, little work has been done to understand how the act of collaboration, through pair programming or group work, impacts a student’s knowledge of the benefits and difficulties of collaborative work. Experience in collaborative work is essential preparation for professional software development. A study was conducted at North Carolina State University to assess changes in advanced undergraduate students’ perceptions of pair programming and collaboration. Student personality types, learning styles, and other characteristics were gathered during two semesters of an undergraduate software engineering course. The study found that, after experiencing pair programming, most students indicated a stronger preference to work with another student, believed that pairing made them more organized, and believed that pairing saved time on homework assignments. Students who disliked their collaborative experiences were predominantly reflective learners, introverts, and strong coders. Those students also cited that a non-participatory partner and difficulties scheduling meeting times outside of the classroom were primary reasons for disliking pair programming. Personality type and learning style had little effect on the changes in perceptions of collaboration.