Enhancing Programming Education with ChatGPT: A Case Study on Student Perceptions and Interactions in a Python Course

TL;DR

This study investigates how first-year students perceive and interact with ChatGPT in a Python programming course, highlighting its benefits and limitations in supporting learning over an eight-week period.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of student perceptions and interactions with ChatGPT in university-level programming education, an area previously underexplored.

Findings

Students generally perceive ChatGPT positively as a learning aid.

ChatGPT helps with debugging, code explanations, and generation.

Limitations include over-reliance and occasional inaccuracies.

Abstract

The integration of ChatGPT as a supportive tool in education, notably in programming courses, addresses the unique challenges of programming education by providing assistance with debugging, code generation, and explanations. Despite existing research validating ChatGPT's effectiveness, its application in university-level programming education and a detailed understanding of student interactions and perspectives remain limited. This paper explores ChatGPT's impact on learning in a Python programming course tailored for first-year students over eight weeks. By analyzing responses from surveys, open-ended questions, and student-ChatGPT dialog data, we aim to provide a comprehensive view of ChatGPT's utility and identify both its advantages and limitations as perceived by students. Our study uncovers a generally positive reception toward ChatGPT and offers insights into its role in enhancing the programming education experience. These findings contribute to the broader discourse on AI's potential in education, suggesting paths for future research and application.