From Domain Understanding to Design Readiness: a playbook for GenAI-supported learning in Software Engineering

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2604.00120v1
• Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:27:42 GMT
• Title: From Domain Understanding to Design Readiness: a playbook for GenAI-supported learning in Software Engineering
• Abstract summary: We report a two-week milestone in a master's course where 29 students used a customized ChatGPT tutor to learn cryptocurrency basics.<n>Results suggest that genAI-supported learning can complement instruction in domain understanding and modeling tasks, while leaving room to improve tone and follow-up structure.
• Score: 0.4737991126491217
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: Software engineering courses often require rapid upskilling in supporting knowledge areas such as domain understanding and modeling methods. We report an experience from a two-week milestone in a master's course where 29 students used a customized ChatGPT (GPT-3.5) tutor grounded in a curated course knowledge base to learn cryptocurrency-finance basics and Domain-Driven Design (DDD). We logged all interactions and evaluated a 34.5% random sample of prompt-answer pairs (60/~174) with a five-dimension rubric (accuracy, relevance, pedagogical value, cognitive load, supportiveness), and we collected pre/post self-efficacy. Responses were consistently accurate and relevant in this setting: accuracy averaged 98.9% with no factual errors and only 2/60 minor inaccuracies, and relevance averaged 92.2%. Pedagogical value was high (89.4%) with generally appropriate cognitive load (82.78%), but supportiveness was low (37.78%). Students reported large pre-post self-efficacy gains for genAI-assisted domain learning and DDD application. From these observations we distill seventeen concrete teaching practices spanning prompt/configuration and course/workflow design (e.g., setting expected granularity, constraining verbosity, curating guardrail examples, adding small credit with a simple quality rubric). Within this single-course context, results suggest that genAI-supported learning can complement instruction in domain understanding and modeling tasks, while leaving room to improve tone and follow-up structure.

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