Toward Guiding Students: Exploring Effective Approaches for Utilizing AI Tools in Programming Courses

This study explores the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education, with a focus on the teaching of programming. Despite the growing use of AI in education, both students and teachers often struggle to understand its role and implications. To address this gap, we conducted surveys on two different university programming courses to assess the experiences and perspectives of over 200 students on the use of AI in programming education. Combined, these findings underscored the need for guidance on how students should use AI tools. Furthermore, the findings suggest that AI is becoming increasingly integrated into university education, especially in programming courses. Responding to this need, we extend the contribution of the study by introducing a set of best practices for AI tool usage in programming courses. Overall, the study highlights the need for greater awareness and understanding of AI in university teaching and the fact that teachers have an important role to play in providing guidance to students on the responsible use of AI tools.