CaptainTeach: multi-stage, in-flow peer review for programming assignments

Abstract

Computing educators have used peer review in various ways in courses at many levels. Few of these efforts have applied peer review to multiple deliverables (such as specifications, tests, and code) within the same programming problem, or to assignments that are still in progress (as opposed to completed). This paper describes CaptainTeach, a programming environment enhanced with peer-review capabilities at multiple stages within assignments in progress. Multi-stage, in-flow peer review raises many logistical and pedagogical issues. This paper describes CaptainTeach and our experience using it in two undergraduate courses (one first-year and one upper-level); our analysis emphasizes issues that arise from the conjunction of multiple stages and in-flow reviewing, rather than peer review in general.