{"ID":2835501,"CreatedAt":"2026-06-01T04:54:23.091178241Z","UpdatedAt":"2026-06-01T04:54:23.091178241Z","DeletedAt":null,"paper_url":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.23157","arxiv_id":"2511.23157","title":"Amplifiers or Equalizers? A Longitudinal Study of LLM Evolution in Software Engineering Project-Based Learning","abstract":"As LLMs reshape software development, integrating LLM-augmented practices into SE education has become imperative. While existing studies explore LLMs' educational use in introductory programming or isolated SE tasks, their impact in more open-ended Project-Based Learning (PBL) remains unexplored. This paper introduces a two-year longitudinal study comparing a 2024 (using early free LLMs, $n$=48) and 2025 (using the latest paid LLMs, $n$=46) cohort. Our findings suggest the latest powerful LLMs' dual role: they act as \"equalizers,\" boosting average performance even for programming-weak students, providing opportunities for more authentic SE practices; yet also as \"amplifiers,\" dramatically widening absolute performance gaps, creating new pedagogical challenges for addressing educational inequities.","short_abstract":"As LLMs reshape software development, integrating LLM-augmented practices into SE education has become imperative. While existing studies explore LLMs' educational use in introductory programming or isolated SE tasks, their impact in more open-ended Project-Based Learning (PBL) remains unexplored. This paper introduces...","url_abs":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.23157","url_pdf":"https://arxiv.org/pdf/2511.23157v1","authors":"[\"Hana Kataoka\",\"Jialong Li\",\"Yutaka Matsuno\"]","published":"2025-11-28T13:05:23Z","proceeding":"cs.SE","tasks":"[\"cs.SE\",\"cs.HC\"]","methods":"[\"Large Language Model\"]","has_code":false}