Enhancing Computational Thinking in Programming Learning with Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools for college students

The era of numerical intelligence has put forward higher requirements on the computational thinking of college students, and the lack of computational thinking is still common among college students at present.In an investigation to find methods and measures to cultivate college students' computational thinking that are widely applicable and effective, the study investigated the effect of artificial intelligence generated content tools in programming education to enhance college students' computational thinking through a 13-week quasi-experimental study.The results of the study show that (1) conventional programming education activities do not significantly enhance college students' computational thinking; (2) artificial intelligence generated content tools in programming education activities significantly enhance college students' computational thinking; and (3) uncontrolled use of artificial intelligence generated content tools is not conducive to the enhancement of learners' academic performance.On this basis, strategies and suggestions are proposed for better utilization of generative artificial intelligence generated content tools to enhance college students' computational thinking ability and academic performance in programming learning.