AI Best Practices - Revision history

Todd: /* AI Interaction Log (Required — 1 Point) */

2026-01-11T14:02:03Z

AI Interaction Log (Required — 1 Point)

Todd: /* AI Reflection (Required for Each Assignment — 5 Points Total) */

2026-01-11T14:01:52Z

AI Reflection (Required for Each Assignment — 5 Points Total)

Todd: /* AI Best Practices */

2026-01-11T13:55:33Z

AI Best Practices

Todd: /* AI Reflection (Required for each assignment) */

2026-01-10T16:54:13Z

AI Reflection (Required for each assignment)

Todd: /* AI Reflection (Required if AI is used) */

2026-01-10T16:15:10Z

AI Reflection (Required if AI is used)

Todd: Created page with "== AI Best Practices == In this course, AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, or Claude) can be powerful aids for brainstorming, debugging, and scaffolding. However, yo..."

2025-12-03T19:38:56Z

Created page with "== AI Best Practices == In this course, AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, or Claude) can be powerful aids for brainstorming, debugging, and scaffolding. However, yo..."

New page

== AI Best Practices ==

In this course, AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, or Claude) can be powerful aids for brainstorming, debugging, and scaffolding. However, you are responsible for understanding the material, verifying correctness, and ensuring your work meets course standards.

=== AI Reflection (Required if AI is used) ===

Whenever you use AI, you must include an '''AI Reflection''' in your README file.

Your reflection must be at least '''2–3 sentences''' per section (more if needed). It should briefly but clearly explain how you used AI before, during, and after your project.

==== Before Coding ====

* What is the goal of this assignment?
* When will you use AI, and when will you avoid it?
* What conceptual questions did you ask the AI?

==== During Development ====

* Paste your three most useful AI prompts.
* What was the AI's response? (Summarize.)
* What did you change in the AI's output, and why?
* What worked and what did not? (Be specific.)

==== After Completion ====

* What errors did the AI make that you caught?
* What debugging or testing did you do?
* What did you understand better because of the AI?
* What would you change about how you use AI next time?

This reflection shows how you used AI as a '''learning tool''' rather than outsourcing the assignment.

'''Note:''' Before coding, complete the '''Before Coding''' section. If you did not use AI at all (including debugging or syntax questions), you may write "I did not use AI" in the following sections. You must complete this exercise for every assignment.

=== Verification and Responsibility ===

When using AI, you are still fully responsible for your submission. This means you must:

* '''Verify correctness'''
** Test the AI's code or explanation to ensure it works in your setup.
** Fix any errors or gaps in logic yourself.
* '''Check for security issues'''
** AI may suggest unsafe practices.
** You must review and correct these.
* '''Maintain style and readability'''
** Clean up AI generated code to match course expectations (proper formatting, comments, descriptive names).

'''Warning:''' Failure to review AI outputs is the same as submitting incorrect work.

=== Branch Working Code ===

When you start the AI assisted portion of your assignment, create a new branch so your original working code is preserved. This prevents losing progress if issues arise with AI generated code.

@@ Line 49: / Line 49: @@
 In addition to the reflection, you must submit an '''AI interaction log'''.
-Your <code>AI_LOG.md</code> file should include copy-pasted prompts and responses from any AI tools you used (e.g., ChatGPT, VS Code Copilot, Copilot Agents). This file is graded for '''completion only''' and is used to verify AI usage.
+Your <code>CSE_3300_AI_LOG.md</code> file should include copy-pasted prompts and responses from any AI tools you used (e.g., ChatGPT, VS Code Copilot, Copilot Agents). This file is graded for '''completion only''' and is used to verify AI usage.
 ----

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 * '''4 points''' for the written reflection in <code>README.md</code>
-* '''1 point''' for submitting your AI interaction log (<code>AI_LOG.md</code>)
+* '''1 point''' for submitting your AI interaction log (<code>CSE3300_AI_LOG.md</code>)
 The reflection must be at least '''2–3 sentences per section''' (more if needed). It should briefly but clearly explain how you used AI '''before''', '''during''', and '''after''' your project.

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 === AI Reflection (Required for each assignment) ===
-Your reflection must be at least '''2–3 sentences''' per section (more if needed). It should briefly but clearly explain how you used AI before, during, and after your project.
+Your reflection must be at least '''2–3 sentences''' per section (more if needed). It should briefly but clearly explain how you used AI before, during, and after your project. Answer the following questions in your README.md file.
 ==== Before Coding ====

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 In this course, AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, or Claude) can be powerful aids for brainstorming, debugging, and scaffolding. However, you are responsible for understanding the material, verifying correctness, and ensuring your work meets course standards.
-=== AI Reflection (Required for each assignment) ===
+----
-Your reflection must be at least '''2–3 sentences''' per section (more if needed). It should briefly but clearly explain how you used AI before, during, and after your project. Answer the following questions in your README.md file.
+== AI Reflection (Required for Each Assignment — 5 Points Total) ==
-==== Before Coding ====
+For each assignment, you must complete an '''AI Reflection worth 5 points''':
 * What is the goal of this assignment?
 * When will you use AI, and when will you avoid it?
 * What conceptual questions did you ask the AI?
-==== During Development ====
+----
 * Paste your three most useful AI prompts.
-* What was the AI's response? (Summarize.)
+* What was the AI’s response? (Summarize.)
-* What did you change in the AI's output, and why?
+* What did you change in the AI’s output, and why?
 * What worked and what did not? (Be specific.)
-==== After Completion ====
+----
 * What errors did the AI make that you caught?
 * What debugging or testing did you do?
@@ Line 27: / Line 39: @@
 * What would you change about how you use AI next time?
-This reflection shows how you used AI as a '''learning tool''' rather than outsourcing the assignment.
+This reflection demonstrates that you used AI as a '''learning tool''', not as a replacement for doing the work yourself.
-'''Note:''' Before coding, complete the '''Before Coding''' section. You must complete this exercise for every assignment.
+----
-=== Verification and Responsibility ===
+== Verification and Responsibility ==
 When using AI, you are still fully responsible for your submission. This means you must:
-* '''Verify correctness'''
+=== Verify correctness ===
-** Test the AI's code or explanation to ensure it works in your setup.
+* Test AI-generated code or explanations in your own environment.
-** Fix any errors or gaps in logic yourself.
+* Fix any errors or gaps in logic yourself.
-* '''Check for security issues'''
-** AI may suggest unsafe practices.
+=== Check for security issues ===
-** You must review and correct these.
+* AI may suggest unsafe practices.
-* '''Maintain style and readability'''
+* You must review and correct these.
-** Clean up AI generated code to match course expectations (proper formatting, comments, descriptive names).
 '''Warning:''' Failure to review AI outputs is the same as submitting incorrect work.
-=== Branch Working Code ===
+----
-When you start the AI assisted portion of your assignment, create a new branch so your original working code is preserved. This prevents losing progress if issues arise with AI generated code.
+When you begin the AI-assisted portion of your assignment, create a '''new Git branch''' so your original working code is preserved. This prevents losing progress if issues arise with AI-generated changes and makes it easier to compare before-and-after results.