Difference between revisions of "AI Best Practices"
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=== AI Reflection (Required for each assignment) === | === 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 ==== | ==== Before Coding ==== | ||
Revision as of 16:54, 10 January 2026
Contents
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 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.
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. 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.
