Seminar: Foundations for Responsible and Equitable Use of AI Code Generators in Computer Science Education
Nicholas Gardella
Assistant Professor of Teaching
PhD Candidate
Systems and Information Engineering
University of Virginia
Monday, February 16, 2026
1:30 - 2:30p.m.
1100 Torgersen
Abstract
Innovations in generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) are highly applicable to computer code recommender systems. GitHub Copilot is a paid, subscription-based Artificial Intelligence-driven Development Environment (AIDE) that is freely available for students in post-secondary education. As a result, institutions need to react swiftly to the implications of this technology by implementing evidence-based updates to policies and curricula in Computer Science (CS) education. While research in this area is on the rise, there is limited empirical work that systematically compares individual, AI-assisted, and human-human pair programming paradigms with respect to both well-being and performance over time. Furthermore, despite many attempts to model human interactions with AIDEs, there are several underexplored topics. These include quantifying the relevance of trust to interactions with AIDEs, reconciling the numerous and disparate qualitative models, and exploring educational equity implications. This work provides foundational understanding to foster inclusive student success by 1) using a human-centered approach to evaluate the use of AIDEs by novice programmers, 2) extending this evaluation in relation to identity and educational persistence of Black HBCU students, 3) interrogating the substitution of a human programming partner for an AIDE, and 4) synthesizing findings into evidence-informed recommendations for CS education.
Biography
Nicholas Gardella is a PhD candidate in Systems & Information Engineering at the University of Virginia (UVA), where he studies human-AI interaction in the context of novice and intermediate computer programmers under Dr. Sara Riggs. He received his BS in Computer Science from Virginia Tech and Master's of Engineering in Systems & Information Engineering from UVA, where he trained on the NSF National Research Traineeship in Cyber-Physical Systems and the and Graduate Research Fellowship Program in Computer & Information Science and Engineering. His research interest is human factors in Cyber-Physical Systems, where his mission is to uphold respect for human well-being in engineering and engineering education, especially in the face of rapid technological change.