Introductory programming course uses AI as a learning aid

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—As educators grapple with the implications of using artificial intelligence (AI), a Western Michigan University computer science instructor is getting ahead of the curve by incorporating AI into instruction to teach students how to responsibly use AI as a learning aid, focusing on questioning, reasoning and reflection rather than simple answer generation.

With support from a WMU Teaching and Learning grant, Dr. Wassnaa Al-Mawee, faculty specialist of computer science, sought solutions for teaching students in the foundational programming course CS 1110: Introduction to Python Programming.

Al-Mawee identified that students often struggle with algorithmic thinking and increasingly turn to AI to generate code, limiting the development of their problem-solving skills. To address this, she developed an AI-driven staged learning model that helps students use AI in a way that develops their analytical thinking.

Following a successful pilot, a system built on ChatGPT-4 Teams as a programming tool for solution development and debugging was incorporated in that offering of the course, with Al-Mawee guiding its effective use. Al-Mawee is seeking opportunities to fund and expand adoption of the model. 

“Most students enter CS 1110 with informal exposure to AI tools such as ChatGPT, often using them for homework help or code generation,” explains Al-Mawee. “However, they typically lack experience using AI in a disciplined, ethical and learning-centered way.”

Al-Mawee piloted the AI-driven, staged learning model in the course with a small group of six students. A customized AI-powered learning assistant, built on ChatGPT-4 Teams, was embedded into two core programming projects that focused on functions, menu-driven design, file processing, and exception handling. 

The assistant guided students through a five-stage instructional framework: 

• problem breakdown
• algorithm design
• code implementation
• self-evaluation
• debugging, and reflection 

At each stage, students actively articulated their reasoning, developed pseudocode, implemented and tested their programs, and reflected on their learning. The AI-powered learning assistant provided structured feedback and targeted hints rather than complete solutions, ensuring that students were responsible for their own work.

“My role was to teach students how to engage deliberately with each stage, emphasizing planning before coding, systematic debugging, and reflective thinking after completion,” says Al-Mawee. “This approach transformed the AI from a passive code generator into an active learning partner that scaffolded critical thinking, independent reasoning, and problem-solving skills, while also serving as an alternative to interview-based assessment.”

For students, Al-Mawee's efforts are paying off as they gain insight into using AI as a tool effectively and ethically. 

“I learned that AI is a tool to help me by understanding the learning process,” says Stalin Giay, an undergraduate student in computer information systems who is also pursuing a computer science minor. “It does not answer every problem, but what AI gave me was guidance or references to use for learning how to solve the problem that I have, such as assignments, exams and more.” 

Other students echo Giay’s insights in course feedback, including the following comments:

“The most helpful feature of the CS1110 Learning Assistant was its ability to take a rough pseudo code done by me and to format it into something that was easily adjusted into actual code. It did not change my concepts but took what a said and added proper indenting and spacing so I could easily convert the words into code.”

“The most helpful feature was the feedback given on the work and the hints given while doing the assignment.”

“It explains how each and different code works so I could understand how to use it for future references."

WMU offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science and cybersecurity, as well as a Ph.D. in computer science. Visit the Department of Computer Sciences' website to learn more about these majors.

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