A Case Study on Student Perspective of Peer Code Review (PCR)

Abstract

Peer Code Review (PCR) is a professional practice and a learning method. A case study on PCR was conducted in a “Programming Languages” course in the fall semester of 2023 at the Norwegian University of Science and Tech-nology (NTNU). A new protocol for peer code review was implemented where the students received a suggested solution and instructor feedback on their solutions before reviewing their peers’ solutions. The motivation for the protocol was to reduce the students’ cognitive load, allowing them to focus on assessing the code produced by their peers. A survey among the students showed that they engaged in the PCR and found the workload rea-sonable. The survey also indicates that students found the review work an opportunity for learning even under the new protocol.