Critical thinking and creativity are essential skills for a computer programming student to cultivate, as they enable the construction of effective, efficient, and innovative solutions. This study explored the capabilities of ChatGPT as a cognitive agent designed to facilitate and enhance the benefits of brainstorming while programming in computer languages. Students would greatly benefit from regularly conversing with ChatGPT because it would help suggest ways to solve unusual programming problems by contemplating alternative algorithms, as well as helping students rethink design decisions in languages such as Python, Java, and C.

The assessment for the brainstorming process was captured using an all-in-one editor for coding, a whiteboard for brainstorming, and a ChatGPT chat agent, all integrated into a browser-based interface and operating in real-time. This setup encouraged students to actively and chronologically document their thought processes. The students could also seek ideas and suggestions generated by AI. The research utilized a mixed methods design. Within the assessment of creativity, relevant elements included fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration of programmable solutions.

According to the outcomes, it seems as though students who held a conversation with ChatGPT during the session came up with more innovative and creative solutions, which seems to stem from their understanding and confidence regarding the programming concepts given. The interviews showed that it was possible and reasonable to assume that ChatGPT would help in producing solutions to mental blocks laterally (lateral thinking).

This paper addresses the use of conversational AI as an alternative learning pedagogy and seeks to specifically analyze the role of creativity and computability in designing educational interventions that support self-directed learning, outlines the implications of curriculum design integrated with ChatGPT for teaching programming, and highlights pedagogical issues such as how to refine AI’s proposals and critique AI’s suggestions through a constructive lens. A total of 48 undergraduate students participated in the study, providing both quantitative and qualitative data that supported the findings and conclusions.

Keywords: ChatGPT, creative thinking, brainstorming, computer programming education, computational creativity, AI-assisted learning, programming problem solving, divergent thinking.