Exploring Teaching and Learning with AI in R Programming

Teaching with AI Exploring teaching and learning with the assistant of AI in R statistical programming YANAN ZHANG DEPARTMENT OF EPIDEMIOLOGY AND BIOSTATISTICS UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA FEB 21, 2025

BIOS 711 Introduction to R Programming A one-credit graduate-level course designed to teach students basic statistical programming and data analysis using R, with an emphasis on applying programming skills to real-world datasets. Common challenges for students: Understand the syntax Understand the programming logic Debugging GenAI Tools/Technology Used: Copilot, ChatGPT or other tools students prefer Example codes with line-by-line explanation Debugging assistant Real-time support

Usage of Artificial Intelligence AI tools may be used as an aid in understanding the course materials, or preparation for assignments. But it cannot be used to generate answers to assignments, exams, or projects. Protect personal information and privacy when using AI tools. Be aware of the data being shared and the potential for this information to be used or shared in ways that may not align with personal values or beliefs. Take accountability for the content generated by AI tools, including the accuracy and bias of the information. It is important to critically evaluate the output and make any necessary corrections or adjustments before using it in written work.

If you utilize an AI tool for an assignment, you must cite the program utilized: Specify the date it was accessed and the AI tool used Include the prompt that was used Clearly indicate which portions of the work were generated using AI You are responsible for any errors in AI- generated work and points may be deducted accordingly.

Low-stakes learning environment Grading Labs Homework (70 % of course grade) Final Exam (30 % of course grade)

It was easy to follow. No, I have not. I referred sources online, that have shown more examples on different functions. Moderate No.

Moderate. Yes, I have Used AI tools to understanding this topic and they are helpful. Moderate Yes, they are Helpful. Moderate. Creating the boxplots (had to use google and copilot for example to understand how to write the code). The topics covered didn t necessarily feel challenging. However, I had to take help from google and AI tools to understand the topics asked in the questions and had to see examples to get idea about how to write the codes. It will be helpful for me if the concepts of Q3 and Q4 are discussed again in the next class. Moderate. Yes. I used copilot to learn about the function inner_join - needed to combine 2 datasets for the purpose of tidying. I searched how can I calculate rate by using case number from one table /dataset and population number another table /dataset in r? assessed by 11th October 2024.

Moderate. I used copilot to figure to understand where to add the codes for renaming the label for questions 4 and 5. Moderate I used chat gpt to understand how to write the argument for suffix . Moderate. When I keep getting errors I would ask ChatGPT to write an example code for something and then I would write my own code using ChatGPT s as a reference. It felt a little difficult, took some time to complete it Yes, I used some tools to learn and fix some errors in the codes. Difficult. yes, I have took help from chatgpt to check if my code for question. I utilized chatgpt to check if I wrote the code right for the equation of variance and skewness. Also, utilized chatgpt to figure out why I can t render this quarto file.

Moderate Yes, I tried to figure out a better way to make an appropriate plot for the TB data with the help of copilot. But couldn t do a good job at it. Moderate I used copilot trying to figure out how to fix the second problem. But it wasn t a success. I would like to know what mistakes or what I can do differently to solve the second problem. Contents covered in this week s lecture was moderate. But the lab question did not feel easy to me. Yes, I used copilot to help me understand some of the lab questions. I asked it to explain it to me in simple words. I also tried to explore example codes to solve some questions but it wasn t helpful. I found question 2d to be challenging. I couldn t figure out how to write the code for this problem. Furthermore, I m not sure if the way I wrote is correct or not.

Things will do again: Low-stake learning environment Emphasize the appropriate citation Things will change: Keep tracking the reflections of each questions in each homework, adjust for the difficulty levels of questions Explore incorporating AI assistant to online course

Teaching Impact: Reduces the instructor's need for one-on-one coding and debugging support. Allows instructors to focus on issues that AI assistants cannot resolve. Learning Impact: Improved coding proficiency and troubleshooting skills Increased confidence in evaluating and adapting AI-generated code Key Takeaway: Acknowledge, utilize, and better serve our students in the era of AI.