You signed in with another tab or window. Reload to refresh your session.You signed out in another tab or window. Reload to refresh your session.You switched accounts on another tab or window. Reload to refresh your session.Dismiss alert
description= "Explore using AI to generate a cover letter for yourself or a CV"
4
-
emoji= "💪🏾"
3
+
description= "Further Reading"
4
+
emoji= "👀"
5
5
time=5
6
6
[build]
7
7
render = 'never'
8
8
list = 'local'
9
9
publishResources = false
10
10
+++
11
11
12
-
#### Use your new skill in real life:
12
+
#### Further Reading
13
+
You do not have to read these resources, but you might find them interesting or useful
14
+
-[Hey programmers – is AI making us dumber?](https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/21/opinion_ai_dumber/)
15
+
-[UN Development Report - A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of AI](https://report.hdr.undp.org/)
13
16
14
-
You do not have to complete this part of the task, but you might find it interesting or useful. Please don’t submit the result - it will lead to your submission being rejected.
15
-
16
-
You can ask ChatGPT to generate a CV for Jane using her summary. There isn’t quite enough information there for the AI to do a perfect job, so it might guess.
17
-
18
-
You could also ask it to generate a CV for you. [This course by CodeAcademy](https://www.codecademy.com/enrolled/courses/streamline-resume-creation-with-generative-ai-case-study) might be helpful in getting AI to make a CV. But, please do note that the sample prompts in the course do not always work.
19
-
20
-
{{<notetype="tip"title="Be careful with Generative AI">}}
21
-
Remember, your _real_ CV must only say _true_ things. (Lying on your CV is a crime in the UK!) Make sure you only use the AI to help you write your CV, not to write it for you.
22
-
23
-
Do not give ChatGPT personal information (e.g. your phone number, email address, full name).
description= "Use ChatGPT to make a cover letter for a fictional person"
3
+
description= "Learn how to use AI appropriately"
4
4
emoji= "🤖"
5
5
time= 90
6
6
[build]
@@ -12,87 +12,79 @@ time= 90
12
12
13
13
### Overview
14
14
15
-
-**Cover letters** are short documents sent alongside your CV. They introduce you and tell the person reviewing your application why you’re perfect for the job. Not all job applications need a cover letter, but when needed, an excellent cover letter is critical.
15
+
You may have heard of or used generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot or Gemmi (shortened to AI or AI tools from now on). These are powerful tools that can enable your learning journey with CodeYourFuture (CYF).
16
16
17
-
-**Generative AI tools** like ChatGPT can help with drafting these documents as long as you’re careful. Copying text from ChatGPT without reviewing it is a bad idea, as it tells lies. It's especially important to be mindful of how you use it in an educational context. ChatGPT can make you think you’re progressing when you’re not. Copying straight from it won't help you learn.
17
+
These AI tools are not really intelligent. They are just very very good at guessing what words should come next in a sentence. They don't understand the real world at all. They're just good at pretending they do. This means they can make silly mistakes and make up things that don’t exist (hallucinations). For instance, up until fairly recently, many AI tools said there were two 'r's in the word strawberry. Most mistakes are not as funny or as obvious. For instance it is common for AI to make up names of code packages which don't exist. Malicious packages even get created with names often generated by AI to exploit this.
18
18
19
-
- In this step, your goal is to use ChatGPT to help you prepare a cover letter for a fictional person named Jane Doe using the data we provide. You don’t need to understand the technical terms in the following pieces of text to complete the task.
19
+
This means that all output from AI is potentially untrustworthy. It's especially hard to tell if AI code output is any good as a junior developer. You just haven't built the understanding of what good code looks like yet - that comes with experience.
20
20
21
-
{{<notetype="note"title="Data on Jane and the Job">}}
21
+
Despite all these downsides and risks, AI can be an amazing tool. The great majority of our teachers are volunteers, so their availability is limited. AI means that you now have a teacher at your fingertips whenever you get stuck. However, good teachers try to help you to understand and find the answers yourself. AI tools do not do this by default - they tend to simply give you the answer. This can make you think you’re progressing and understanding when you’re not. So, you need to use it correctly. You need to be careful to ask it to help you to learn the concepts, not to solve the problems. For instance it would be inappropriate to get it to do CYF coursework for you but it would be appropriate to get it to help you to understand a concept you're struggling with.
22
22
23
-
##### Jane’s summary:
23
+
Success at CYF is not about using AI to rush through the course and tick all the boxes. It's about building a deep understanding of the concepts we teach for yourself. Using AI to do the work for you wastes everyone’s time. You will end the course without the coding skills you wanted (which means you won't get a job) and our volunteers will have wasted their time marking AI work.
24
24
25
-
Jane is applying for a Junior Software Developer role with Software for Lawyers Ltd.
25
+
#### Questions
26
26
27
-
Jane has recently completed the part-time Super Coders Software Development programme. During this time, she was also working full-time and caring for her two children. The course teaches full-stack web development and general programming concepts. It teaches HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Node.js, Express, React, and PostgreSQL. Jane is very passionate about programming. She taught herself the Python programming language before starting the course.
27
+
##### Question One
28
+
A CYF student is assigned coursework on a CYF course. The assignment is to build a homepage for a library which displays their twenty newest books. It requires that they use CSS Grid (a CSS feature used to display HTML elements in a grid format). They think that ChatGPT could help them complete this task.
28
29
29
-
Her portfolio includes many full-stack applications. This includes projects she has built with other students, as well as some solo projects. She’s especially proud of a project called Pin the Mood. This project stores book recommendations until the user has time to read the books. The project used React, Express, Node.js and PostgreSQL. The project team was an agile team made up of two trainees, a Scrum Master and a Tech Lead.
30
+
Which of the prompts below is an appropriate use of AI?
30
31
31
-
After leaving school seven years ago, she joined Lawyers 4U as a call handler. She has developed excellent interpersonal skills and has gained experience working under pressure.
32
+
1. Generate a webpage to display information about books in a grid format.
33
+
2. Use CSS Grid to build a webpage to display twenty digital books
34
+
3. Build a homepage for a library website
35
+
4. I want to learn more about CSS Grid. Please explain the core concepts simply with examples.
32
36
33
-
##### The Job Description:
37
+
##### Question Two
38
+
A CYF student asks an AI tool to help them understand a complex CSS topic. The information the AI gives doesn't sound right.
34
39
35
-
Software for Lawyers Ltd makes case management software. Their software helps lawyers manage caseloads and track time spent. The development team is small and close-knit. They are looking to add a Junior Software Developer to their team.
40
+
Which of the below might be appropriate responses?
36
41
37
-
###### Requirements
42
+
1. Googling the topic and look for reliable sources to clarify the point.
43
+
2. Trying to persuade the AI to check again.
44
+
3. Accepting this as the truth because the AI seemed to know what it was talking about.
45
+
4. Asking a volunteer whether the AI is right.
46
+
5. Asking another AI tool.
38
47
39
-
- A university degree in a relevant subject or software development course
40
-
- Experience with Node.js, Express and React
41
-
- A strong portfolio with solo and group projects
42
-
- Excellent interpersonal skills
43
-
- Experience developing software in an agile team
44
-
- Passionate about programming
48
+
##### Question Three
49
+
A CYF student balances fulltime work and family responsibilities with studying at CYF. They are struggling to keep up with the course. In particular, they are struggling to understand some fundamental concepts.
45
50
46
-
##### Nice to Haves
47
-
48
-
- Experience in the legal sector
49
-
- Some knowledge of Python
50
-
- Experience working in an office-based environment
51
-
52
-
{{</note>}}
51
+
Which of the below are NOT appropriate responses?
53
52
53
+
1. Asking volunteers for guidance at a session
54
+
2. Giving an AI tool their assigned problems and ask it to solve them for them. They then copy and paste the output, making no edits.
55
+
3. Asking an AI tool to explain the concepts they find difficult to understand.
56
+
4. Attempting to solve the problems, then giving up asking an AI tool to fix their code. Then copying and pasting the answer without understanding the changes it made.
57
+
5. Using Google to find articles on the topics they are struggling with.
58
+
6. Copying another student’s answers.
59
+
7. Sending a direct message to a active volunteer
60
+
8. Giving an AI tool their assigned problems and ask it to solve them for them. They then copy and paste the output, making small edits.
54
61
55
62
### What Should You Do?
56
63
57
-
##### 1. Sign up for a ChatGPT account
58
-
Go to https://chatgpt.com and sign up for an account.
59
-
60
-
##### 2. Ask the AI to help you write a cover letter
61
-
62
-
Give it the description of Jane and the job description. Chat with the AI interactively as if it is a person. It may take some experimentation to get the right prompt. That’s OK - getting AI to do what you want is all about trial and error.
63
-
64
-
> [!NOTE]
65
-
> Think about [the goals of a cover letter](https://hbr.org/2014/02/how-to-write-a-cover-letter). Read and reflect on the cover letter. Has the AI provided good links between Jane's experience and the job's requirements (e.g. does it note that she has experience in the legal sector)? How has the AI demonstrated that Jane has the right skills for the job? Has the AI added anything that wasn’t in the description of Jane? Could you do better?
66
-
>
67
-
> Think about your own future job hunt. What have you learned that will help you apply for jobs in the future? Will you use ChatGPT to help you generate a cover letter? If so, how will you make sure it's a good cover letter? If not, why not?
68
-
69
-
##### 3. Prepare the cover letter in a Google Doc
70
-
71
-
1. Create a Google Doc.
72
-
2. Copy the cover letter text from ChatGPT into the Google Doc.
73
-
3. Format the cover letter in the Google Doc.
64
+
##### 1. Create a Google Doc
65
+
1. Create a Google Doc
66
+
2. Place your answers for each of the questions above into the doc
67
+
3. Add one to three sentences explaining why you chose the answers you did
74
68
75
69
> [!NOTE]
76
70
> If you are new to Google Docs, you may find this [guide on what Google Docs is and how to use it](https://support.google.com/docs/answer/7068618?hl=en-GB&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop) useful.
77
71
78
-
79
-
##### 4. Put your name in the document name
72
+
##### 2. Put your name in the document name
80
73
81
74
Include your given name or your family name in the title of the Google Doc.
82
75
83
76
{{<notetype="tip"title="Search the Web">}}
84
77
`How to change document name in Google Docs`
85
78
{{</note>}}
86
79
87
-
##### 5. Make your Google Doc public
80
+
##### 3. Make your Google Doc public
88
81
89
82
Change the sharing settings of your Google Doc to "Anyone with the link can view".
90
83
91
84
{{<notetype="tip"title="Search the Web">}}
92
85
`How to share Google Docs to public`
93
86
{{</note>}}
94
87
95
-
96
-
##### 6 Submit the Google Doc link
88
+
##### 4. Submit the Google Doc link
97
89
98
90
Submit the link to the Google Doc in Step 2 on the [CYF Course Platform](https://application-process.codeyourfuture.io/).
0 commit comments