A preliminary review of undergraduate programming students' perspectives on writing tests, working with others, & using peer testing

Abstract

Techniques such as Pair Programming, or allowing students to run their programs against a reference test harness, have demonstrated their effectiveness in improving grades or retention rates. This paper proposes to supplement the existing literature by investigating students' perceptions of the benefits of writing tests, working with other students and using Peer Testing. Responses to an online anonymous survey cast new light on the relation between testing and programming and confirm previously postulated limitations of collaborative approaches; i.e. the unbalanced nature of contributions and lack of didactic interactions in student groups. We then examine how Peer Testing is perceived and discuss its relation to both collaboration and test-based pedagogies.