Teaching CS50 with AI: Leveraging Generative Artificial Intelligence in Computer Science Education
This demo will illustrate the functionality and effectiveness of these tools as well as the pedagogical "guardrails" that are put in place to ensure secure and fair usage of these tools, while sharing insights from the own experience therewith this past summer and fall.
Abstract
CS50.ai is an AI-based educational tool developed and integrated into CS50 at Harvard University using large language models (LLMs), supporting both in-person and online learners. CS50.ai encapsulates a variety of AI-based tools designed to enhance students' learning by approximating a 1:1 teacher-to-student ratio. We showcase: "Explain Highlighted Code," a Visual Studio (VS) Code extension that provides just-in-time explanations of code snippets; style50, a VS Code extension that offers formatting suggestions and explanations thereof; and our "CS50 Duck," an AI-based chatbot for course-related questions, implemented both as a VS Code extension and as a standalone web application. We also demonstrate the integration of our tools into Ed, the course's discussion forum. This demo will illustrate the functionality and effectiveness of these tools as well as the pedagogical "guardrails" that we put in place to ensure secure and fair usage of these tools, while sharing insights from our own experience therewith this past summer and fall.