arXiv subjects

Barbara Ericson

Publications and source records attributed to Barbara Ericson.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

To Police or to Guide: How Higher Education Computer Science Instructors Design and Implement Generative AI Policies

While generative AI tools are directly changing how undergraduate computer science is learned and taught, they are also reshaping the relationships between instructors and students. In contrast to existing tool-oriented research on how instructors view and adopt AI, this study investigates how instructors think about their roles and responsibilities to students through their course AI policies. Based on 13 semi-structured interviews with CS instructors in the US, we found that while instructors recognize that AI tools could harm student learning, AI policies primarily seek to AI-proof assessments without directly addressing student learning. Although policies such as switching to paper exams can preserve assessment integrity in the short term, instructors report extra burden of policing student AI use behaviors and worsening relationships with students. Based on the experiences of several interviewees, we make recommendations on AI policies that are more learning-oriented and could guide students toward healthier AI usage instead.

cs.CY↗

arXiv2026

Self-Regulated Personal Contracts as a Harm Reduction Approach to Generative AI in Undergraduate Programming Education

Students learning programming exercise agency in deciding when and how to use GenAI tools like ChatGPT. However, this agency is often implicit and shaped by deadline pressure and peer behavior rather than explicit and conscious learning goals. We designed a GenAI Contract grounded in harm reduction and self-regulated learning theory to scaffold intentional decision-making: students articulated personal learning goals, created usage guidelines, and reflected on alignment at strategic points across an eleven-week semester. The contract was non-binding and graded only for completion, emphasizing self-awareness over enforcement. We implemented this with N=217 students in an intermediate Python course. For students still forming their relationship with GenAI, it worked, as 58% of students reported the intervention changing their thinking and created helpful accountability structures. However, awareness did not always translate to sustained behavior change. Some students who valued their guidelines still abandoned them under various pressures. Maintaining guidelines required constant self-control across hundreds of decisions, while using GenAI freely requires none. Many students could not sustain this burden despite this self-awareness. We discuss supporting student agency when GenAI tools and learning goals create tension.

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arXiv2025

Validation of the Critical Reflection and Agency in Computing Index: Do Computing Ethics Courses Make a Difference?

Computing ethics education aims to develop students' critical reflection and agency. We need validated ways to measure whether our efforts succeed. Through two survey administrations (N=474, N=464) with computing students and professionals, we provide evidence for the validity of the Critical Reflection and Agency in Computing Index. Our psychometric analyses demonstrate distinct dimensions of ethical development and show strong reliability and construct validity. Participants who completed computing ethics courses showed higher scores in some dimensions of ethical reflection and agency, but they also exhibited stronger techno-solutionist beliefs, highlighting a challenge in current pedagogy. This validated instrument enables systematic measurement of how computing students develop critical consciousness, allowing educators to better understand how to prepare computing professionals to tackle ethical challenges in their work.

cs.CY↗

arXiv2025

A systematic review of research on large language models for computer programming education

Given the increasing demands in computer programming education and the rapid advancement of large language models (LLMs), LLMs play a critical role in programming education. This study provides a systematic review of selected empirical studies on LLMs in computer programming education, published from 2023 to March 2024. The data for this review were collected from Web of Science (SCI/SSCI), SCOPUS, and EBSCOhost databases, as well as three conference proceedings specialized in computer programming education. In total, 42 studies met the selection criteria and were reviewed using methods, including bibliometric analysis, thematic analysis, and structural topic modeling. This study offers an overview of the current state of LLMs in computer programming education research. It outlines LLMs' applications, benefits, limitations, concerns, and implications for future research and practices, establishing connections between LLMs and their practical use in computer programming education. This review also provides examples and valuable insights for instructional designers, instructors, and learners. Additionally, a conceptual framework is proposed to guide education practitioners in integrating LLMs into computer programming education. This study suggests future research directions from various perspectives, emphasizing the need to expand research methods and topics in computer programming education as LLMs evolve. Additionally, future research in the field should incorporate collaborative, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary efforts on a large scale, focusing on longitudinal research and development initiatives.

cs.CY↗

arXiv2025

Learner and Instructor Needs in AI-Supported Programming Learning Tools: Design Implications for Features and Adaptive Control

AI-supported tools can help learners overcome challenges in programming education by providing adaptive assistance. However, existing research often focuses on individual tools rather than deriving broader design recommendations. A key challenge in designing these systems is balancing learner control with system-driven guidance. To explore user preferences for AI-supported programming learning tools, we conducted a participatory design study with 15 undergraduate novice programmers and 10 instructors to gather insights on their desired help features and control preferences, as well as a follow-up survey with 172 introductory programming students. Our qualitative findings show that learners prefer help that is encouraging, incorporates visual aids, and includes peer-related insights, whereas instructors prioritize scaffolding that reflects learners' progress and reinforces best practices. Both groups favor shared control, though learners generally prefer more autonomy, while instructors lean toward greater system guidance to prevent cognitive overload. Additionally, our interviews revealed individual differences in control preferences. Based on our findings, we propose design guidelines for AI-supported programming tools, particularly regarding user-centered help features and adaptive control mechanisms. Our work contributes to the human-centered design of AI-supported learning environments by informing the development of systems that effectively balance autonomy and guidance, enhancing AI-supported educational tools for programming and beyond.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2025

Development of the Critical Reflection and Agency in Computing Index

As computing's societal impact grows, so does the need for computing students to recognize and address the ethical and sociotechnical implications of their work. While there are efforts to integrate ethics into computing curricula, we lack a standardized tool to measure those efforts, specifically, students' attitudes towards ethical reflection and their ability to effect change. This paper introduces the novel framework of Critically Conscious Computing and reports on the development and content validation of the Critical Reflection and Agency in Computing Index, a novel instrument designed to assess undergraduate computing students' attitudes towards practicing critically conscious computing. The resulting index is a theoretically grounded, expert-reviewed tool to support research and practice in computing ethics education. This enables researchers and educators to gain insights into students' perspectives, inform the design of targeted ethics interventions, and measure the effectiveness of computing ethics education initiatives.

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arXiv2024

Insights from Social Shaping Theory: The Appropriation of Large Language Models in an Undergraduate Programming Course

The capability of large language models (LLMs) to generate, debug, and explain code has sparked the interest of researchers and educators in undergraduate programming, with many anticipating their transformative potential in programming education. However, decisions about why and how to use LLMs in programming education may involve more than just the assessment of an LLM's technical capabilities. Using the social shaping of technology theory as a guiding framework, our study explores how students' social perceptions influence their own LLM usage. We then examine the correlation of self-reported LLM usage with students' self-efficacy and midterm performances in an undergraduate programming course. Triangulating data from an anonymous end-of-course student survey (n = 158), a mid-course self-efficacy survey (n=158), student interviews (n = 10), self-reported LLM usage on homework, and midterm performances, we discovered that students' use of LLMs was associated with their expectations for their future careers and their perceptions of peer usage. Additionally, early self-reported LLM usage in our context correlated with lower self-efficacy and lower midterm scores, while students' perceived over-reliance on LLMs, rather than their usage itself, correlated with decreased self-efficacy later in the course.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2023

Critiquing Computing Artifacts through Programming Satirical Python Scripts

Computing artifacts tend to exclude marginalized students, so we must create new methods to critique and change them. We studied the potential for "satirical programming" to critique artifacts as part of culturally responsive computing (CRC) pedagogy. We conducted a one-hour session for three different BPC programs (N=51). We showed an example of a satirical Python script and taught elements of Python to create a script. Our findings suggest this method is a promising CRC pedagogical approach: 50% of marginalized students worked together to create a satirical script, and 80% enjoyed translating their "glitches" into satirical Python scripts.

cs.CY↗