# Agentic Education: Using Claude Code to Teach Claude Code

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.17460 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.17460/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Software engineering coding agents, one of 16 directions in LLM agents and tool use.
- Builds on 13 of its 43 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 19 Apr 2026.

## Placed in

- LLM agents and tool use / [Software engineering coding agents](https://mlsanity.com/agents/software-engineering-coding-agents/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 13 of 13)

- [Evaluating Large Language Models Trained on Code](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.03374/) (2021)
- [Reflexion: Language Agents with Verbal Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.11366/) (2023)
- [Self-Refine: Iterative Refinement with Self-Feedback](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.17651/) (2023)
- [A Survey on Large Language Model based Autonomous Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.11432/) (2023)
- [MetaGPT: Meta Programming for A Multi-Agent Collaborative Framework](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.00352/) (2023)
- [A Prompt Pattern Catalog to Enhance Prompt Engineering with ChatGPT](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.11382/) (2023)
- [Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.08872/) (2025)
- [Programming Is Hard -- Or at Least It Used to Be: Educational Opportunities And Challenges of AI Code Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.01020/) (2022)
- [Studying the effect of AI Code Generators on Supporting Novice Learners in Introductory Programming](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.07427/) (2023)
- [CodeAid: Evaluating a Classroom Deployment of an LLM-based Programming Assistant that Balances Student and Educator Needs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.11314/) (2024)
- [The Widening Gap: The Benefits and Harms of Generative AI for Novice Programmers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.17739/) (2024)
- [Neural-Symbolic Knowledge Tracing: Injecting Educational Knowledge into Deep Learning for Responsible Learner Modelling](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.08263/) (2026)
- [A Scoping Review of Large Language Model-Based Pedagogical Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.12253/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

AI coding assistants have proliferated rapidly, yet structured pedagogical frameworks for learning these tools remain scarce. Developers face a gap between tool documentation and practical mastery, relying on fragmented resources such as blog posts, video tutorials, and trial-and-error. We present cc-self-train, a modular interactive curriculum for learning Claude Code, an agentic AI coding tool, through hands-on project construction. The system introduces five contributions: (1) a persona progression model that adapts instructor tone across four stages (Guide, Collaborator, Peer, Launcher), operationalizing Gradual Release of Responsibility for AI-mediated instruction; (2) an adaptive learning system that observes engagement quality through hook-based heuristics and adjusts scaffolding at two timescales, using streak detection for mid-module intervention and aggregate metrics for module-boundary persona changes; (3) a cross-domain unified curriculum in which five distinct project domains share identical feature sequencing, enabling transfer learning; (4) a step-pacing mechanism with explicit pause primitives to manage information overload in an AI-as-instructor context; and (5) an auto-updating curriculum design in which the onboarding agent detects upstream tool changes and updates teaching materials before instruction begins. A parametrized test suite enforces structural consistency as a proxy for pedagogical invariants across all 50 modules. A pilot evaluation with 27 participants shows statistically significant reported self-efficacy gains across all 10 assessed skill areas (p < 0.001), with the largest effects on advanced features such as hooks and custom skills. We discuss implications for the design of auto-updating educational systems.