AI chatbot: I want help, not the answer!

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34190/ecel.23.1.2810

Keywords:

Artificial Intelligence, prompt engineering, formative feedback, active learning, educational tool

Abstract

In recent years, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into educational settings has become a topic of great interest. As technology continues to evolve, educators and students are exploring how AI can enhance learning experiences. University of South-Eastern Norway (USN) and Kristiania University College (HK) are developing a web-based educational tool, DbPersist, where IT students can practice tasks within the database subject and receive automated feedback. The latest version now also offers students suggestions on how to utilize AI for learning while they are solving various database related tasks. In this study, we explore the students' experiences with getting automatically generated “prompts” for further use in their preferred AI tool, whenever they request assistance. Do they see the value in gaining experience in using prompts designed for learning? Do they believe it might help them using AI for learning purposes in other courses in their study? To answer these questions, we conducted surveys and interviews. Participants included bachelor students across various disciplines and multiple campuses at USN. The participants were all enrolled in database courses with learning goals involving the database query language SQL and ER modelling (drawing Entity-Relationship Diagrams). Early findings suggest that students appreciate the assistance provided by DbPersist’s AI prompts. They value the emphasis on AI-assisted learning and find the prompts useful for getting assistance in solving difficult tasks as opposed to getting complete answers. They also see the value in gaining experience in using AI chatbots using prompts designed for learning and understanding. As AI continues to shape education, tools like DbPersist offer exciting possibilities. DbPersist exemplifies how AI may be used to empower students, emphasizing learning and understanding alongside correctness.

Author Biographies

Olav Dæhli, University of South-Eastern Norway, Porsgrunn, Norway

Olav Dæhli is an Associate Professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway, Department of Electrical Engineering, IT and Cybernetics. He teaches several engineering subjects and is the academic program coordinator for the Software Development study program. His primary research interests are within computer science and learning technolgy.

Bjørn Kristoffersen, University of South-Eastern Norway, Bø, Norway

Bjørn Kristoffersen is Associate Professor at University of South-Eastern Norway, where he teaches databases and web development. He holds a Cand. Scient. degree in Informatics from University of Oslo. He has written two introductory textbooks in databases and programming (co-author). His current research interests include learning tools and formative assessment.

Per Lauvås, Kristiania University College, Oslo, Norway

Per Lauvås jr is a professor in Information Technology at Kristiania University College, Norway. He is a SoTL contributor through his research on teaching within IT subjects. In addition to research on teaching, he is involved in projects regarding employability and work-life relevance.

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Published

2024-10-23