Examining the use of generative artifical intelligence tools in coding education: The case of ChatGPT

Productive artificial intelligence tools are used in various fields in education today. ChatGPT, one of these tools, is an artificial intelligence-supported chatbot that is being used in different fields in education today. It has reached a high user base since its launch. Its ability to understand what the user writes and provide meaningful answers allows it to be used in different educational fields. However, the fact that ChatGPT can generate code distinguishes it from other chatbots. The fact that ChatGPT can generate code makes it a tool that can be used in programming education. In this study, this aspect of ChatGPT was analyzed and its effect on coding education was examined. The study was conducted with the case study design, one of the qualitative research designs. The study was conducted with 21 students studying in the Digital Game Design department of a private university in Istanbul and 5 academicians from the same department who had previously used ChatGPT, and 99 codes were created under 11 titles. As a result of the study, it was determined that ChatGPT can be used as an effective tool for guiding, debugging and providing instant feedback in coding learning, and that it contributes to the development of independent learning skills while increasing the learning speed of students. For teachers, it offers various advantages such as saving time in lesson planning and providing support in teaching processes. As negative aspects of ChatGPT, it was stated that this tool can lead to addiction and weaken problem solving skills. In addition, the risk of providing incomplete or inaccurate information was seen as a situation that could lead to mislearning. It was determined that ChatGPT can increase motivation but can lead to superficial learning when used excessively. On creativity, it was stated that it can provide positive effects when used correctly, but it can negatively affect creative thinking in case of over-dependence. In order for ChatGPT to be an effective tool in education, its strategic and balanced use was considered important.