I have classes that require me to use Python and R programming. I expected
countless hours of going through textbooks and tutorials, but I decided to use generative AI
(primarily ChatGPT) to help me learn and improve my programming skills. This learning
process not only helped me with my coding, but I also figured out how to effectively learn
with AI.
At first, I was struggling; I was putting in exercises or vague prompts, and the AI generated
lines of code that I did not understand. I realized that it was not about understanding code
but about understanding how to ask the right questions to get answers tailored to my
needs. I decided to experiment with this, and I treated the AI not like a search engine, but
like an online tutor. The ‘study and learn’ mode on ChatGPT helped a lot. I provided the AI
with a coding task, and it responded with a detailed guide: from organizing to creating the
code and then improving it. The positive aspect was the momentum—I didn’t get stuck.
However, the downside was that if I followed every step blindly, I learned less. What helped
me was changing the AI to “explain-first” mode: I requested the reason behind each step, a
simple example, and a brief self-assessment I could perform before proceeding further
with the coding content I had provided. If I encountered an error, I requested to identify the
cause instead of just asking for the correct solution. That transformed the tutorial from a
solution guide into genuine teaching.
Reflecting on my experience with improving my coding skills with generative AI, I believe
that there are both promises and limits. On the one hand, it offers personalized learning
and support tailored to your needs and at any time, but on the other hand, it promotes
passive learning. I think there needs to be a balance: anyone using generative AI should
experiment with how it can support their work effectively, while still making sure they
remain in control of the process. If I could change anything in these tools, such as the
‘Study and Learn’ ChatGPT, I would make them function more like a teacher: make it ask
questions to assess skill levels, clarify the solutions, and give additional exercises to check
if the content is understood. By using generative AI in that way, for educational purposes, it
does not eliminate the process of learning; in fact, it enhances it.