AI Diary¶
School of Engineering and Technology, University of Washington Tacoma
TCSS 460 — Client/Server Programming, Spring 2026
Due Date
Thursday, June 11, 2026, 11:59 PM (Finals Week)
Description¶
Throughout the quarter, you will maintain a weekly AI Diary — a running log of how you use AI coding tools (e.g., Gemini, Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, GitHub Copilot) in your coursework. The diary helps you develop a reflective practice around AI-assisted development: when it helps, when it doesn't, and how your approach evolves over time.
This is not a test. There are no right or wrong answers. The goal is honest, thoughtful reflection.
Learning Objectives¶
By maintaining the AI Diary, you will:
- Develop awareness of when and how you use AI tools in your workflow
- Critically evaluate AI-generated code and suggestions
- Track how your relationship with AI tools changes as your skills grow
- Build a habit of reflective practice around tool usage
How It Works¶
- Accept the GitHub Classroom assignment (above) to create your diary repository.
- Each week, open
diary.mdand fill in your entry under that week's heading. - Commit and push your changes to
main. - Repeat weekly through Week 10.
Your diary repository contains a diary.md template with weekly sections. Each week has four prompts and an open notes section:
| Prompt | What to Write |
|---|---|
| What AI tools did you use this week? | List the tools and briefly how you used them. |
| Describe a task where AI was helpful. | What did you ask? What did it produce? What did you learn from the interaction? |
| Describe a time AI got it wrong or you had to correct it. | What happened? How did you identify and fix the issue? |
| How is your approach to using AI evolving? | How has your strategy, trust level, or workflow changed? Leave blank if it's too early to say. |
| Notes | Anything else — screenshots, interesting prompts, links, observations. |
Expectations¶
- Write weekly. Do not try to fill this in retroactively at the end of the quarter. Entries written from memory weeks later are obvious and less useful — to you and to us.
- Be specific. "I used ChatGPT and it was helpful" is not enough. Describe the actual task, the actual prompt (or a summary), and the actual result.
- Be honest. If you didn't use AI tools in a given week, say so. If AI wrote your entire assignment, say so. There is no penalty for how much or how little you use AI — only for not reflecting on it.
- Commit every week. You must have at least one commit per week that includes that week's entry. I will check your commit history and timestamps. Filling out multiple weeks in a single commit at the end of the quarter will not receive credit for those weeks.
Grading¶
The AI Diary is worth 50 points and accounts for half of the "AI Diary & Course Reflection" portion of your grade (5% total).
Grading is based on completeness and thoughtfulness:
- Did you commit an entry each week? (I check commit history — each week's entry must be committed that week.)
- Are your entries specific and reflective? (Not generic filler.)
- Do your entries show engagement with the prompts? (You thought about it, not just went through the motions.)
This is not graded on writing quality, grammar, or length. Short, honest, specific entries are better than long, vague ones.
Submission¶
There is nothing to submit on Canvas. Your diary will be pulled directly from your GitHub Classroom repository at the deadline. Make sure your latest changes are committed and pushed to main by Thursday, June 11, 2026, 11:59 PM.
This assignment is part of TCSS 460 — Client/Server Programming, School of Engineering and Technology, University of Washington Tacoma.