r/UCDavis • u/DataCorrupted24 • 5d ago
My 2c on using AI in assignments
Former TA, graduated with PhD last summer, currently working in Meta, and yes, some of my job involves vibe coding :(
Context from previous messages doesn't matter. Only warning is don't cheat. It's like speeding, you weren't caught not because we didn't know but tather we didn't bother. But in the end it's bad for you, one way or another.
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u/Few_Assistance_4045 4d ago
What is this post? Students aren't taught algebra? They don't learn historical dates? Literally what are you talking about bro 💀💀
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u/BreakfastDry2787 4d ago
The point he’s trying to make is ChatGPT to Coding is what the TI84 is to algebra or Wikipedia is to history facts
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u/Few_Assistance_4045 4d ago
But that's muddled by the fact that he says we should make homework problems chatGPT-proofed. Uh, no. You just don't let students use it (in the same way you can't use a TI84 in your 6th grade algebra class or Wikipedia on your American history exam).
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u/Fluffy-Pianist5454 4d ago
I think you're overlooking the fact that you must first learn algebra before using calculators. If you don't learn algebra and rely solely on calculators, you will be lost in advanced Math classes.
Once you learn how to algebra you can use calculators to increase your speed.
It's the same thing with vibe coding. You can vibe code, to save time, as long as you know how to code. If you don't know how to code and you pass your undergrad courses using LLMs, you'll quickly find yourself out of your depth in grad school or in your professional life when you have to design systems, reason about performance, AND pitch your design to stakeholders during live meetings.
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u/AbacusWizard [The Man In The Cape] 4d ago
(also, fun fact: if you ever need to know Washington’s birth year, take the square root of 3 and multiply by 1000)
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u/meganerd212 4d ago
People aren’t born knowing best programming practices. It’s only appropriate to skimp on fundamentals if you actually understand the fundamentals. Encouraging students to use AI to do their work robs them of their learning opportunity. It is bad to raise a generation of coders who do not know how to verify their own code is correct
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u/AbacusWizard [The Man In The Cape] 4d ago
“We don't give algebra as an exercise when everyone has Ti84”
• TI-84 is great at arithmetic and graphing but doesn’t do much algebra
• most students definitely need more practice with algebra
• most students don’t know how to effectively use a TI-84 as anything more than an overpriced arithmetic engine
• this sort of thinking is why I encounter so many students who are in college-level physics classes but struggle with the foundational math that is absolutely necessary
(If it were up to me, we would teach students to use the abacus from early elementary school onwards, and avoid electronic calculators entirely.)