Pair Programming Guidelines

General Information

The content of this page was originally based on  information provided at  http://www.realsearchgroup.org/pairlearning/ Similar information can be found at this site.
Pair programming refers to the practice in which two programmers work together at one computer, collaborating on the same design, algorithm, code, and test. The pair is made up of a driver, who actively types at the computer or records a design; and a navigator, who watches the work of the driver and attentively identifies problems, asks clarifying questions, and makes suggestions. Both are also continuous brainstorming partners and they periodically change roles. Many universities are using pair programming in their computer science classes throughout the world as well as some high schools. Research found that most students prefer to collaborate than to work alone and find CS more attractive if they are not forced to work alone the majority of the time. Between the two students, they can generally figure out most problems and can avoid pesky syntax and semantic errors that can cost many hours to debug. This is one of the most frustrating part of software development. Pair programming reduces the amount of time spent on debugging and increases the joy of programming courses! Moreover, many real life projects are conducted in pairs.
Researchers who implemented and tested this idea found that

• Students in classes in which pair programming was required generally had higher project scores and higher exam scores – a sign that the students are learning the material on an individual basis as well.
• More students passed CS1 with a grade of C or better.
• At NCSU, when these students went on to the second programming class (CS2) in which they were forced to work alone (and, thereby, demonstrate their individual competence), the students who hadpair programmed in CS1 were more likely to have maintain or improve their grades than the students who had worked alone in CS1. At UCSC, more students who had paired in CS1 attempted CS2 (77% vs.62%) and slightly more of these students passed CS2 compared with the students who had worked solo in CS1.
• Most importantly, a higher percentage of the students who took a paired CS1 class chose to pursue a computer science-related major one year later (NCSU: 57% vs. 34%, p < 0.001; UCSC 25% vs11%, p < 0.008) compared with their solo counterparts.

Specific Guidelines

• If you are using a single computer, both members of the pair must be at the same computer together while collaborating. One student will be the "driver" who controls the keyboard and mouse.  The other is the "navigator" who observes, asks questions, suggests solutions, and thinks about longer-term strategies.  It is not permissible for one member of the pair to work on the code while the other partner is not there participating actively.
• Again, if you're on a single computer, the roles of driver and navigator must be swapped regularly, about every 30 minutes.
• If you are working together on individual computers, then the pair needs to be working in the same place, and each person needs to be a full owner of the work.
• You must work with the same partner for an entire submission.  You can work with a different partner on different labs. If your partner does not contribute or participate according to the guidelines, then do not include their name in the submission.
• If there are multiple programs to write for a given assignment, it is not permissible to simply partition the work between partners. You must work on each part together.
• To “learn the do’s and don’ts” of pair programming and to see pairs in action, watch this fun video   and worksheet from North Carolina State University. These are also available on this page.