4 ms·

I get that copilot is AI and pretty cool, but students could look up a Fibonacci program on Google before it existed. What's more these algorithms are written i

I get that copilot is AI and pretty cool, but students could look up a Fibonacci program on Google before it existed. What's more these algorithms are written in books. If students wanted to cheat on your "write depth first search" assignment then they already were.

jefftk 4y ago
I think the big change here is how much easier it is? Students, like everyone else, are lazy. Previously just doing the assignment was typically less work than cheating, and Copilot makes that much less common.
- niek_pas 4y ago
  > Previously just doing the assignment was typically less work than cheating I don't think this is generally true, especially for algorithms and smaller programs: Googling 'fibonacci python' takes 3 seconds.
- moffkalast 4y ago
  Type the assignment into google and press enter vs type it as a comment and press tab? Seems roughly the same amount of effort, and since Copilot is not free anymore most students won't bother paying for access on any kind of scale that matters. Whoever was going to cheat will cheat regardless. Besides it's one of those "you won't have a calculator with you everyday" fallacies. If you can solve problems with Copilot in class you can also do it at your job later on.
  - sliken 4y ago
    Not really, for small snippets, sure. But jobs require getting something done. Sure you might be able to tab complete 10 pieces, but at some point you have to tie them together to get a working program and those 10 pieces will have different assumptions and require some real understanding to integrate.
    - moffkalast 4y ago
      Sounds like something they ought to require in that university course then eh?
  - sodality2 4y ago
    > Copilot is not free anymore most students won't bother paying for access Copilot is free for students: https://docs.github.com/en/billing/managing-billing-for-github-copilot/about-billing-for-github-copilot#github-copilot-pricing https://docs.github.com/en/billing/managing-billing-for-gith...
SoftTalker 4y ago
Even implementing an algorithm from a book teaches you something. Most book algorithms are in pseudocode so you need to know how to write a loop or a function in the language you are using. And just the act of typing it line-by-line will focus attention and help cement concepts in the brain (assuming one really wants to learn). Hitting TAB in Copilot doesn't do any of those things.
- throwaway675309 4y ago
  I understand what you're getting at, but feel like you're splitting hairs here since somebody who goes to look it up on Stack overflow is just going to copy paste... not type it out line by line like it's a page of BASIC from BYTE magazine.
bergenty 4y ago
How accessible something is matters a lot. Writing a comment and then pressing enter is a whole lot easier and very accessible.

jefftk 4y ago

I think the big change here is how much easier it is? Students, like everyone else, are lazy. Previously just doing the assignment was typically less work than cheating, and Copilot makes that much less common.

niek_pas 4y ago
> Previously just doing the assignment was typically less work than cheating I don't think this is generally true, especially for algorithms and smaller programs: Googling 'fibonacci python' takes 3 seconds.
moffkalast 4y ago
Type the assignment into google and press enter vs type it as a comment and press tab? Seems roughly the same amount of effort, and since Copilot is not free anymore most students won't bother paying for access on any kind of scale that matters. Whoever was going to cheat will cheat regardless. Besides it's one of those "you won't have a calculator with you everyday" fallacies. If you can solve problems with Copilot in class you can also do it at your job later on.
- sliken 4y ago
  Not really, for small snippets, sure. But jobs require getting something done. Sure you might be able to tab complete 10 pieces, but at some point you have to tie them together to get a working program and those 10 pieces will have different assumptions and require some real understanding to integrate.
  - moffkalast 4y ago
    Sounds like something they ought to require in that university course then eh?
- sodality2 4y ago
  > Copilot is not free anymore most students won't bother paying for access Copilot is free for students: https://docs.github.com/en/billing/managing-billing-for-github-copilot/about-billing-for-github-copilot#github-copilot-pricing https://docs.github.com/en/billing/managing-billing-for-gith...

SoftTalker 4y ago

Even implementing an algorithm from a book teaches you something. Most book algorithms are in pseudocode so you need to know how to write a loop or a function in the language you are using. And just the act of typing it line-by-line will focus attention and help cement concepts in the brain (assuming one really wants to learn). Hitting TAB in Copilot doesn't do any of those things.

throwaway675309 4y ago
I understand what you're getting at, but feel like you're splitting hairs here since somebody who goes to look it up on Stack overflow is just going to copy paste... not type it out line by line like it's a page of BASIC from BYTE magazine.

bergenty 4y ago

How accessible something is matters a lot. Writing a comment and then pressing enter is a whole lot easier and very accessible.