Mindful Coding: Student Agency and AI Partnership in Software Development Learning

Software development has become an increasingly vital skill in the AI era and the demand for individuals proficient in software development continues to grow. However, Generative AI (GenAI) tools such as ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot are transforming software development education. This study examines the transformative role of GenAI in software development education, highlighting both its educational benefits and associated risks. Initially met with scepticism due to concerns around academic integrity (Daun & Brings, 2023), GenAI is now increasingly viewed as a valuable educational tool that can deliver personalised instruction, generate diverse learning resources, and enhance student engagement (Sengul, Neykova, & Destefanis, 2024; Sun, Boudouaia, Zhu, & Li, 2024). This ongoing study follows a qualitative approach using two data sources: Reddit discussions and interviews. Over 15,000 comments were collected from several subreddits using the Reddit API, targeting conversations about AI in learning software programming. In addition, 16 semi-structured interviews were conducted with computer science academics across multiple countries. Topic modelling (Hannigan et al., 2019) was applied to Reddit data, and thematic analysis was used to code the interview data. Topic modelling produced five categories, including “Leveraging Custom AI Agents” and “Balancing Innovation and IP Protection”. Interview analysis revealed three main themes. AI as a Learning Partner and Personal Mentor: interviews revealed that AI tools are not merely utilities but collaborative agents that coach software development students, scaffold codes and trigger self-reflection by students. Students negotiate how far to lean on AI while developing cognition about its benefits and limits. Future-Proofing Software-Development Education: Faculties are re-engineering curricula, practices, and assessments so graduates master enduring principles of computing and software engineering as well as the AI-mediated workflows that industry now expects. Authenticity and integrity safeguards are essential to keep learning meaningful. Developing Responsible and Ethical AI Fluency: Beyond technical skills, students and prospective programmers aim to build a critical ethical lens in spotting bias, protecting privacy, and using AI responsibly. This fluency is recognised as a graduate attribute and a pre-empt against shallow, AI-driven shortcuts. The next phase of our research will integrate Reddit discourse and academic perspectives to develop a robust framework for the responsible use of GenAI in software programming education.