On pair rotation in the computer science course

Abstract

In a course environment, pairing a student with one partner for the entire semester is beneficial, but may not be optimal. We conduct a study in two undergraduate level courses to observe the advantages and disadvantages of pair rotation whereby a student pairs with several different students throughout the semester. We summarize teaching staff and student perceptions on the viability of pair rotation. Teachers find pair rotation valuable because the teaching staff can obtain multiple peer evaluations on each student and because dysfunctional pairs are regularly disbanded. However, pair rotation adds to the burden of assigning pairs multiple times per semester. The majority of students in the study perceived pair rotation to be a desirable approach. Additionally, most students considered peer evaluation to be an effective means of providing feedback to teaching staff. However, they did not significantly believe that peer evaluation was an effective means for motivating students.