Complementary Functions and Potential of Generative AI in Algorithm Education

In today’s digital era,algorithms have become an indispensable part of our daily lives and work.Algorithm education plays a crucial role in computer science and software engineering,aiming to cultivate students’problem-solving skills and computational thinking.However,traditional algorithm education often requires significant time and efforts from teachers,lacks interactivity,and provides limited examples.The rapid advancement of AI technology,particularly generative models,and large language models(LLMs),has the potential to revolutionize computer education.Models like OpenAI’s GPT-4 and ChatGPT have conversational capabilities and contribute to various aspects of computer education.GPT-3.5,as an assistant in algorithm education,assists teachers in automatically generating explanations and algorithmic examples to enhance students’understanding of algorithms.While existing research has certain limitations,such as focusing on specific scenarios and lacking comprehensive benchmark testing,this paper explores the role of ChatGPT(GPT-3.5)in algorithm education.By refining prompts and evaluating generative capabilities,the study demonstrates that GPT-3.5 holds significant potential as a teaching aid.With an average accuracy of 0.81.GPT-3.5 can generate explanations,code examples,and visualizations of the corresponding algorithms.Other tests including algorithm problem-solving and examples giving also prove the practicability of GPT-3.5 in algorithm education.

An Effective Online Collaborative Training in Developing Listening Comprehension Skills

The COVID-19 outbreak severely affected formal face-to-face classroom teaching and learning.ICT-based online education and training can be a useful measure during the pandemic.In the Pakistani educational context,the use of ICT-based online training is generally sporadic and often unavailable,especially for developing English-language instructors’listening comprehension skills.The major factors affecting availability include insufficient IT resources and infrastructure,a lack of proper online training for speech and listening,instructors with inadequate academic backgrounds,and an unfavorable environment for ICT-based training for listening comprehension.This study evaluated the effectiveness of ICT-based training for developing secondary-level English-language instructors’listening comprehension skills.To this end,collaborative online training was undertaken using random sampling.Specifically,60 private-school instructors in Chakwal District,Pakistan,were randomly selected to receive online-listening training sessions using English dialogs.The experimental group achieved significant scores in the posttest analysis.Specifically,there were substantial improvements in the participants’listening skills via online training.Given the unavailability of face-to-face learning during COVID-19,this study recommends using ICT-based online training to enhance listening comprehension skills.Education policymakers should revise curricula based on online teaching methods and modules.