Chun-Hua Tsai

Cassandra Lucas, Anshul Bihani, Rohini Kukka et al.

Generative AI creates new opportunities for programming education, but many existing systems remain overly directive, producing lengthy explanations and premature solutions that can overwhelm K-12 novices. In this paper, we present a participatory design study of how an adaptive tutorial system, SocratiCode, evolved toward a Socratic tutoring model for beginner programming instruction. Drawing on weekly learner feedback, we iteratively refined the system over a four-week study with two K-12 students learning Python. Across iterations, the system shifted from flexible tutorial generation toward a more dialogic form of support characterized by guided questioning, reflection prompts, misconception checks, incremental hints, and mandatory pauses for learner input. Our preliminary observations suggest that this Socratic shift improved explanation clarity, supported problem-solving engagement, and better aligned instruction with novice learners' needs, especially when combined with human guidance. We argue that generative AI in K-12 programming education may be most effective not as an answer engine, but as a Socratic, adaptive learning companion embedded within a human-guided instructional framework.

Bishwa Karki, Chun-Hua Tsai, Pei-Chi Huang et al.

In this work, we introduce a novel deep learning-based approach to text-in-image watermarking, a method that embeds and extracts textual information within images to enhance data security and integrity. Leveraging the capabilities of deep learning, specifically through the use of Transformer-based architectures for text processing and Vision Transformers for image feature extraction, our method sets new benchmarks in the domain. The proposed method represents the first application of deep learning in text-in-image watermarking that improves adaptivity, allowing the model to intelligently adjust to specific image characteristics and emerging threats. Through testing and evaluation, our method has demonstrated superior robustness compared to traditional watermarking techniques, achieving enhanced imperceptibility that ensures the watermark remains undetectable across various image contents.