Summary and Schedule
An extension to The Carpentries Instructor Training, designed to empower Instructors to respond to learners’ use of generative AI (genAI) chatbot tools in workshops.
After following this bonus module, Instructors will be able to:
- Identify challenges and opportunities presented by genAI chatbots to novices learning to adopt computational research practices.
- Engage learners in discussions of genAI chatbot use in the context of a Carpentries workshop.
- Build a positive learning environment that encourages openness and critical analysis of prompts given to a chatbot and outputs received.
- Discuss the implications of expert awareness gaps in the context of chatbot use.
- Advise learners on how to increase the likelihood of a genAI chatbot producing output that will help them learn.
- Summarise existing studies of the effects of genAI tool usage on software development productivity.
- Discuss how the skills that learners need to develop, and their motivation to acquire those skills, are affected by the coding capabilities of genAI tools.
This bonus module is designed for Carpentries Instructors and anyone else who has participated in Instructor Training or Learner Centered Teaching. It is not necessary for participants to have completed certification as a Carpentries Instructor.
If it has been a while since you participated in Instructor Training/Learner Centered Teaching, you may benefit from reviewing the following episodes of the Instructor Training curriculum before joining the Bonus Module:
Chatbot Use Required
Exercises and activities in this bonus module require the use of a genAI chatbot tool by participants. Direct use of the technology grounds the discussion and equips Instructors with an understanding of learners’ experiences with these tools, their capabilities and idiosyncracies. Participants who prefer not to create an account on an chatbot service can use the duck.ai service, which does not require a login and has greater privacy protections than some other chatbot systems.
| Setup Instructions | Download files required for the lesson | |
| Duration: 00h 00m | 1. Welcome | How does this bonus module complement the existing Instructor Training? |
| Duration: 00h 30m | 2. The GenAI Landscape |
What does the current landscape of genAI tools for coding look
like? What AI tools are researchers and programming novices typically using? |
| Duration: 00h 40m | 3. Building Skill with Practice |
What are the implications of genAI tool use for guided practice among
novice learners? How good are current genAI tools at producing solutions to the exercises in Carpentries lessons? |
| Duration: 01h 15m | 4. Expertise and Instruction |
How does a user’s expertise affect their use of genAI tools? What can Instructors do to discourage learners from relying on chatbots to solve exercises during a workshop? |
| Duration: 01h 35m | 5. Memory and Cognitive Load | How could learners’ use of chatbots influence considerations of cognitive load in a workshop? |
| Duration: 02h 30m | 6. Building Skill with Feedback | How might learners’ use of genAI tools impact the pathways and mechanisms of feedback in a workshop? |
| Duration: 03h 00m | 7. How Not to be Wrong About AI |
Why are most claims about the impact of AI on productivity not
reliable? What methods would be more reliable? What can we practically do in a classroom setting? |
| Duration: 03h 30m | 8. Wrap-up | How should Carpentries workshops change to account for the use of genAI tools? |
| Duration: 04h 10m | Finish |
The actual schedule may vary slightly depending on the topics and exercises chosen by the instructor.
No specialist software is required to participate in this bonus module. You will need a modern web browser.
If you have an account for a chatbot application (e.g. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Mistral Vibe), you can use that during the training. If you do not already have an account, there is no need to create one unless you want to. Participants who prefer not to create an account can use the duck.ai chatbot, which does not require a login.