The DMC Center is collaborating with South Brunswick High School on a research project exploring how generative AI tools can support – rather than replace – student learning in introductory computer science courses.<\/p>\n
As AI tools like ChatGPT become increasingly common in education, there’s an open question: how do we help students use these tools effectively without short-circuiting the learning process? This partnership between DMC Director Scott Frees and SBHS Computer Science teacher (and Ramapo adjunct Computer Science professor) Steven Schiff aims to find out.<\/p>\n
The study involves high school students across eight sections of “Computer Science in the 21st Century,” testing three different approaches to AI access: no AI, limited AI (where students use it only for understanding), and a custom-build AI assistant – built at the Ramapo DMC Center – designed to explain concepts without writing code for students. By rotating these conditions across different programming topics, the research team hopes to understand which approaches help students learn foundational concepts most effectively.<\/p>\n
This collaboration represents the kind of practical research needed as educators adapt to rapidly evolving technology. Rather than banning AI or giving students unlimited access, the project explores middle ground\u2014helping students develop both programming skills and the judgment to use AI tools responsibly. The findings will provide guidance for computer science educators navigating similar questions about AI integration in their own classrooms.<\/p>\n