The Good and Bad of AI Tools in Novice Programming Education

As AI coding tools become more prevalent in programming, it is essential to understand how they influence programming education. This study, conducted in a first-semester Introduction to Programming course, aimed to determine the positive and negative effects of these tools on students’ learning exp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Education sciences Vol. 14; no. 10; p. 1089
Main Author: Zviel-Girshin, Rina
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.10.2024
Subjects:
AI coding tools
AI in education
artificial intelligence (AI)
Automation
Chatbots
Computer programming
Computer science
Computer Science Education
Core curriculum
Critical thinking
Education
Educational Change
Educational Technology
Feedback
Generative artificial intelligence
Higher education
introduction to programming
Learner Engagement
Learning
Methods
Pedagogy
Problem solving
programing education
Science education
Skills
Software
Software development
Students
Surveys
Teachers
Teaching
ISSN:2227-7102, 2227-7102
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:As AI coding tools become more prevalent in programming, it is essential to understand how they influence programming education. This study, conducted in a first-semester Introduction to Programming course, aimed to determine the positive and negative effects of these tools on students’ learning experiences and their ability to develop essential programming skills. Using a mixed-methods approach, we collected data from 73 teams of engineering students over a 12-week period. Students completed surveys and reported on their AI tool usage. We analyzed this data quantitatively to identify trends in tool familiarity, usage, and student satisfaction. Additionally, qualitative analysis of student reports provided insights into the specific ways AI tools were used and their perceived benefits and drawbacks. The findings revealed a significant increase in AI tool familiarity (from 28% to 100%) and usage among students. Students’ satisfaction with AI tools improved over time. The most prevalent tasks for which novice programmers used AI tools included creating comments (91.7%), identifying and correcting bugs (80.2%), and seeking information (68.5%), while other tasks were less common. While these tools offered benefits like assisting in learning and enhancing real-world relevance, they also raised concerns about cheating, over-reliance on AI tools, and a limited understanding of core programming concepts.
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ISSN:2227-7102
2227-7102
DOI:10.3390/educsci14101089