AI Coding Without the Vibes
This essay explores the role of AI in education, arguing that students should learn to navigate AI tools rather than avoiding them or over-relying on them. It emphasizes the importance of developing a personal understanding of concepts through active learning.
Why it matters
It addresses the pedagogical crisis in higher education regarding how to integrate generative AI without sacrificing critical thinking skills.
We spend a lot of effort these days trying to figure out how to stop students cheating with AI. It’s necessary, but it’s not the most satisfying part of the job. Students that want shortcuts around learning are going to find them anyway.
A more worthwhile and interesting question to spend our energy on is what to tell those students (including PhD students) who aren’t looking for shortcuts. The ones that genuinely want to learn and are happy to devote hours each day to developing themselves. The ones who want to be here.
This question—what we should tell students to do with AI—is a good trigger to think about what we ourselves should be doing (which is what this essay is really about).
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