Incorporating Generative AI into Software Development Education

Abstract

This paper explores how Generative AI can be incorporated into software development education. We present examples of formative and summative assessments, which explore various aspects of ChatGPT, including its coding capabilities, its ability to construct arguments as well as ethical issues of using ChatGPT and similar tools in education and the workplace. Our work is inspired by the insights from surveys that show that the learners on our Degree Apprenticeship Programme have a great interest in learning about and exploiting emerging AI technology. Similarly, our industrial partners have a clear interest for their employees to be formally prepared to use GenAI in their software engineering roles. In this vein, it is proposed that embedding the use of GenAI tools in a careful and creative way - by developing assessments which encourage learners to critically evaluate AI output - can be beneficial in helping learners understand the subject material being taught without the risk of the AI tools “doing the homework”.