Investigation of students' perceptions and opinions on the use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in education is a topic gaining much interest. Studies addressing this are typically conducted with large heterogeneous groups, at one moment in time. However, how students perceive and use GenAI tools can potentially depend on many factors, including their background knowledge, familiarity with the tools, and the learning goals and policies of the courses they are taking. In this study we explore how students following computing courses use GenAI for programming-related tasks across different programs and courses: Bachelor and Master, in courses in which learning programming is the learning goal, courses that require programming as a means to achieve another goal, and in courses in which programming is optional, but can be useful. We are also interested in changes over time, since GenAI capabilities are changing at a fast pace, and users are adopting GenAI increasingly. We conducted three consecutive surveys (fall `23, winter `23, and spring `24) among students of all computing programs of a large European research university. We asked questions on the use in education, ethics, and job prospects, and we included specific questions on the (dis)allowed use of GenAI tools in the courses they were taking at the time. We received 264 responses, which we quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed, to find out how students have employed GenAI tools across 59 different computing courses, and whether the opinion of an average student about these tools evolves over time. Our study contributes to the emerging discussion of how to differentiate GenAI use across different courses, and how to align its use with the learning goals of a computing course.

本研究探讨了学生在不同计算课程中对生成性人工智能工具的使用和看法，填补了现有文献对此话题的不足。通过对多个程序和课程的学生进行连续调查，揭示了学生背景知识和课程学习目标如何影响其对这些工具的接受度及使用情况。研究发现，学生对生成性人工智能工具的认知和应用随着时间而变化，提供了关于如何在课程中有效整合这些工具的新见解。

学生对不同计算课程中生成性人工智能工具使用的看法