The nature of collaborations on programming assignments in introductory physics courses: a case study

Abstract

We are providing a mixed-method case study of student collaborations on a programming assignment in an introductory physics course for non-majors. Clustering techniques provide insights on code similarity, and network analysis uncovers social networking in the completion of the assignment. These results are complemented by an open-ended survey, which aims to explain the formation of these network structures, as well as elicit affective and epistemological feedback. It was found that students generally underestimate the size of their collaboration network, except for students who feel overwhelmed by the task—these students believe that everybody copies. The crucial question whether student learning is aided or hindered by these collaborations leads to recommendations for future implementations of programming activities and assignments in physics courses.