Generative AI for Programming Education
Situating our response to generative AI in disciplinary identity
About
While my CV highlights my academic products, it doesn’t explain how I approach my work. I want to share with you how I work not only so that we can collaborate in a more thoughtful way, but also so that you can hold me accountable when I fall short of who I want to be. How I teach is deeply shaped by who I am, so I hope this document helps you get to know me so that we learn better together.
Why should we learn in school? Education is not only about learning skills, but also discovering our professional voice and approach to navigating the world. I see my academic work as creative work: expressions of who I am and who I want to be. The efforts, actions, and choices we take today—repeated over weeks, months, and years—are the means of making the world a better place.
Why should we do good work? Our work is our art: it’s the mark we leave behind on the world. I want to work with people who are serious about their art! I work toward ambitious goals even if mistakes occur because it’s the best way to learn not only about our work but also about ourselves. Self-reflection and critical conversations about our work are key to improving ourselves.
Why should we not give up? While human existence can feel bleak, meaningless, and out of balance with the natural world, there is beauty in living because we have the chance to struggle to make a better world. I am rarely ever angry or disappointed in individuals, but rather in the systems that produce them. I focus on the actions we can take to change our social conditions.
Learning is about improving ourselves to help others. Learning is about not just how we can help ourselves, but also how we can help others. I want to live, work, and thrive in communities that are founded on care for each other. I trust people who consistently take deliberate action to improve themselves, honor commitments to others, and go out of their way to provide help.