Using ChatGPT in Software Development Education

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT are revolutionizing the landscape of learning and teaching. They excel in understanding and creating natural language texts, thereby captivating students with their quick and well-crafted responses. While some perceive AI simply as a tool to reduce workload, our study appreciates these technologies for their ability to beautifully augment human capabilities. In this study, we tasked ChatGPT with designing a relational database for an online food delivery system, similar to an early university computer science assignment. This paper explains the attention mechanism, which is a crucial component in LLMs, enabling them to focus on specific parts of the presented input (prompt) and enhances their ability to ‘understand’ context. Through a series of iterative prompt refinements, we evaluate ChatGPT's effectiveness in developing this database, with a goal to enhance the accuracy and relevance of its responses. Our findings reveal both the benefits and limitations of using LLMs in education, highlighting their potential to significantly enrich the learning experience.