An Empirical Study on Usage and Perceptions of LLMs in a Software Engineering Project

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2401.16186v1
• Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2024 14:32:32 GMT
• Title: An Empirical Study on Usage and Perceptions of LLMs in a Software Engineering Project
• Authors: Sanka Rasnayaka, Guanlin Wang, Ridwan Shariffdeen, Ganesh Neelakanta Iyer
• Abstract summary: Large Language Models (LLMs) represent a leap in artificial intelligence, excelling in tasks using human language(s) In this paper, we analyze the AI-generated code, prompts used for code generation, and the human intervention levels to integrate the code into the code base. Our findings suggest that LLMs can play a crucial role in the early stages of software development.
• Score: 1.433758865948252
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: Large Language Models (LLMs) represent a leap in artificial intelligence, excelling in tasks using human language(s). Although the main focus of general-purpose LLMs is not code generation, they have shown promising results in the domain. However, the usefulness of LLMs in an academic software engineering project has not been fully explored yet. In this study, we explore the usefulness of LLMs for 214 students working in teams consisting of up to six members. Notably, in the academic course through which this study is conducted, students were encouraged to integrate LLMs into their development tool-chain, in contrast to most other academic courses that explicitly prohibit the use of LLMs. In this paper, we analyze the AI-generated code, prompts used for code generation, and the human intervention levels to integrate the code into the code base. We also conduct a perception study to gain insights into the perceived usefulness, influencing factors, and future outlook of LLM from a computer science student's perspective. Our findings suggest that LLMs can play a crucial role in the early stages of software development, especially in generating foundational code structures, and helping with syntax and error debugging. These insights provide us with a framework on how to effectively utilize LLMs as a tool to enhance the productivity of software engineering students, and highlight the necessity of shifting the educational focus toward preparing students for successful human-AI collaboration.

Related papers

• From LLMs to LLM-based Agents for Software Engineering: A Survey of Current, Challenges and Future [15.568939568441317]
  We investigate the current practice and solutions for large language models (LLMs) and LLM-based agents for software engineering. In particular we summarise six key topics: requirement engineering, code generation, autonomous decision-making, software design, test generation, and software maintenance. We discuss the models and benchmarks used, providing a comprehensive analysis of their applications and effectiveness in software engineering.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-08-05T14:01:15Z)
• Insights from Social Shaping Theory: The Appropriation of Large Language Models in an Undergraduate Programming Course [0.9718746651638346]
  Large language models (LLMs) can generate, debug, and explain code. Our study explores how students' social perceptions influence their own LLM usage.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-06-10T16:40:14Z)
• A Survey on Large Language Models for Code Generation [9.555952109820392]
  Large Language Models (LLMs) have garnered remarkable advancements across diverse code-related tasks. This survey aims to bridge the gap between academia and practical development by providing a comprehensive and up-to-date literature review.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-06-01T17:48:15Z)
• Toward Self-Improvement of LLMs via Imagination, Searching, and Criticizing [56.75702900542643]
  We introduce AlphaLLM for the self-improvements of Large Language Models. It integrates Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) with LLMs to establish a self-improving loop. Our experimental results show that AlphaLLM significantly enhances the performance of LLMs without additional annotations.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-04-18T15:21:34Z)
• An Exploratory Study on Upper-Level Computing Students' Use of Large Language Models as Tools in a Semester-Long Project [2.7325338323814328]
  The purpose of this study is to explore computing students' experiences and approaches to using LLMs during a semester-long software engineering project. We collected data from a senior-level software engineering course at Purdue University. We analyzed the data to identify themes related to students' usage patterns and learning outcomes.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-03-27T15:21:58Z)
• Rethinking Machine Unlearning for Large Language Models [85.92660644100582]
  We explore machine unlearning in the domain of large language models (LLMs) This initiative aims to eliminate undesirable data influence (e.g., sensitive or illegal information) and the associated model capabilities.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-02-13T20:51:58Z)
• If LLM Is the Wizard, Then Code Is the Wand: A Survey on How Code Empowers Large Language Models to Serve as Intelligent Agents [81.60906807941188]
  Large language models (LLMs) are trained on a combination of natural language and formal language (code) Code translates high-level goals into executable steps, featuring standard syntax, logical consistency, abstraction, and modularity.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-01-01T16:51:20Z)
• Experiential Co-Learning of Software-Developing Agents [83.34027623428096]
  Large language models (LLMs) have brought significant changes to various domains, especially in software development. We introduce Experiential Co-Learning, a novel LLM-agent learning framework. Experiments demonstrate that the framework enables agents to tackle unseen software-developing tasks more effectively.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-12-28T13:50:42Z)
• Supervised Knowledge Makes Large Language Models Better In-context Learners [94.89301696512776]
  Large Language Models (LLMs) exhibit emerging in-context learning abilities through prompt engineering. The challenge of improving the generalizability and factuality of LLMs in natural language understanding and question answering remains under-explored. We propose a framework that enhances the reliability of LLMs as it: 1) generalizes out-of-distribution data, 2) elucidates how LLMs benefit from discriminative models, and 3) minimizes hallucinations in generative tasks.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-12-26T07:24:46Z)
• Low-code LLM: Graphical User Interface over Large Language Models [115.08718239772107]
  This paper introduces a novel human-LLM interaction framework, Low-code LLM. It incorporates six types of simple low-code visual programming interactions to achieve more controllable and stable responses. We highlight three advantages of the low-code LLM: user-friendly interaction, controllable generation, and wide applicability.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-04-17T09:27:40Z)
• Automatically Generating CS Learning Materials with Large Language Models [4.526618922750769]
  Large Language Models (LLMs) enable software developers to generate code based on a natural language prompt. LLMs may enable students to interact with code in new ways while helping instructors scale their learning materials. LLMs also introduce new implications for academic integrity, curriculum design, and software engineering careers.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2022-12-09T20:37:44Z)

This list is automatically generated from the titles and abstracts of the papers in this site.

This site does not guarantee the quality of this site (including all information) and is not responsible for any consequences.