Harnessing Hype to Teach Empirical Thinking: An Experience With AI Coding Assistants

TL;DR

This paper reports on a seminar using AI coding assistants as a hype-driven topic to teach empirical thinking, showing increased student engagement and critical inquiry about emerging technologies.

Contribution

It demonstrates that hype-driven topics can effectively lower barriers to learning empirical research and foster critical thinking in software engineering education.

Findings

Hype topics increase student curiosity and engagement.

Hands-on empirical studies promote critical thinking.

A single seminar can teach technical and research skills effectively.

Abstract

Software engineering students often struggle to appreciate empirical methods and hypothesis-driven inquiry, especially when taught in theoretical terms. This experience report explores whether grounding empirical learning in hype-driven technologies can make these concepts more accessible and engaging. We conducted a one-semester seminar framed around the currently popular topic of AI coding assistants, which attracted unusually high student interest. The course combined hands-on sessions using AI coding assistants with small, student-designed empirical studies. Classroom observations and survey responses suggest that the hype topic sparked curiosity and critical thinking. Students engaged with the AI coding assistants while questioning their limitations -- developing the kind of empirical thinking needed to assess claims about emerging technologies. Key lessons: (1) Hype-driven topics can lower barriers to abstract concepts like empirical research; (2) authentic hands-on development tasks combined with ownership of inquiry foster critical engagement; and (3) a single seminar can effectively teach both technical and research skills.