​​​​​​​Transforming Computer Science Education in the Age of AI

A global effort led by UC San Diego

At UC San Diego, the consortium brings together researchers from the Jacobs School of Engineering and the School of Social Sciences and is run in collaboration by faculty from both units, alongside faculty at the University of Toronto. The consortium is housed in the UC San Diego Center for Research on Education, Assessment, and Teaching Excellence (CREATE), an educational policy and outreach center in the School of Social Sciences.

"UC San Diego has been at the forefront of artificial intelligence research for decades, paving the way for groundbreaking innovations that power today's AI systems,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “From the pioneering work in the 1970s that laid the foundation for modern AI, to our current advancements in computer science and education innovation, UC San Diego remains a driving force in AI research and its applications. We are grateful to Google.org for their visionary support, which will enable us to build on our legacy of AI leadership and shape the future of education for programmers and beyond."

Generative AI tools like Google Gemini and ChatGPT are reshaping computer science education, the researchers say, as the skills students need to learn to write software evolve  because of these tools. Industry, meanwhile, now expects new software engineers to be fluent in these tools. 

“We created this consortium to bring together leading minds in computer science who are focused on integrating generative AI into the computer science curriculum. We believe that through the synergy of all of the different organizations involved, we can make an impact and help faculty integrate this new tool into their courses,” said Leo Porter, a professor in the UC San Diego Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and consortium co-leader.

Connecting educators across continents

The consortium launched with a summit held Aug. 13 to 15 on the UC San Diego campus that brought together industry, non-profit organizations and higher education institutions from North America, Europe and Africa. 

“We are really excited to bring together such an incredibly diverse group of organizations and people,” said Beth Simon, a teaching faculty member in the UC San Diego Department of Education Studies and also a consortium co-leader. “We hope that our partner organizations left this summit with an increased sense of purpose and mission around what our goals are as a consortium, an increased understanding of the wonderful groups that they're working with and increased excitement about their plans for the academic year that they can then convey to the faculty, the students, and all of the people they work with day to day.” 

From course design to classroom practice

The consortium offers six turnkey courses that integrate generative AI into the curriculum, five of which were funded by Google.org. Three of the courses were developed by UC San Diego faculty. But the broader goal is for faculty members from around the world to adapt the courses and borrow what works best for them. 

“What I am hoping we can do is amplify the amazing work that our faculty have already done to create AI-informed CS education courses. These courses exist. They're being built out, they're being tested across universities. And we need to get the word out to everybody that these courses are available not only for adoption, but for adaptation in local contexts as well,” said Daniel Zingaro, a teaching professor at the University of Toronto, and also a consortium co-leader. 

Porter and Zingaro coauthored the first book on teaching computer science with generative AI, “Learn AI-assisted Python Programming: With GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT.” The book  kick-started the development of introductory computer science courses incorporating generative AI, both at UC San Diego and worldwide.

Teaching the tools of tomorrow

UC San Diego has been teaching students how to program with large language models for several years in computer science classes, and this coming academic year is no exception. The campus will be offering several introductory classes throughout the year, as well as more advanced classes. 

“Our job,” said Jessica Hill, postsecondary and workforce lead at Google, “is to really serve as a catalyst to bring together the technology, the resources and the industry perspective that can be combined with that educational expertise to set students up for success as the economy continues to shift with this new technology.”

Building skills for a changing tech landscape

In the next year, consortium members will deploy the tools and resources provided by the organizations, and communicate back their results, said Ernest Holmes, a technical program manager at Google. He and Hill, along with Google.org program managers Erin Spaulding and Jenn Marroquin, worked closely with researchers to get the consortium off the ground. 

“This consortium effort is so important to make sure that the next generation of tech leaders are getting the skill sets that they need,” Marroquin said. 

“Critically, we need to ensure that the work being done by our faculty is made available to students worldwide,” added Spaulding. “That’s why we’re working with a global set of organizations that have the reach to make this successful.”

Learn more: GenAI in CS Education Consortium.

Learn more about research and education at UC San Diego in: Artificial Intelligence