Who's Driving? Structured Pairing in an Electronics Laboratory

Pair programming, a method of structuring student groups in computer science courses, has been found to increase student confidence, satisfaction, and persistence in computer science courses. I developed a similar method of structuring student groups, called “structured pairing,” which I implemented in an engineering laboratory. I compared structured pairing with traditional student grouping, using an end-of-semester survey, focus group interviews, College of Engineering enrollment data, and final examination scores. I found that, like pair programming, structured pairing increased student confidence, satisfaction, and desire to persist within engineering. Structured pairing also increased student comfort with basic lab tasks, increased student willingness to work in groups or teams in the future, provided more positive and equitable experiences, and gave students a more helpful view of teamwork.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Electrical & Computer Engr

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2011

Author dc:creator

• Fila, Nicholas D.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Loui, Michael C.

• Engineering Laboratory
• Pair Programming
• Teamwork
• Structured Pairing

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2010 Nicholas D. Fila

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/18402

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/18402