The usefulness of AI cannot be denied and, consequently, it has infiltrated every sector – including education. According to TeacherTapp, over 50% of teachers use AI to plan and improve their lessons. And naturally, students too have rapidly adopted generative AI tools like ChatGPT to complete assignments.
Not only are teachers beginning to use AI to plan and improve their lessons, but naturally a large number of students use models like ChatGPT to complete assignments.
But what drives students to use AI in their learning? And is AI harmful to learning? A new piece of research may have some answers.
Read on to find out:
- How AI is becoming a permanent fixture in education
- What the latest research says
- Tips to help reduce AI usage
The growing role of AI in education
AI is no longer simply a concept for the future, but a reality that is reshaping how we live, work and teach. A recent survey by the Digital Education Council found that 86% of students use AI tools in their learning, with 54% of them using them on a weekly basis and 25% of them using them daily.
This increasing reliance on AI most likely stems from its speed, convenience and adaptability. An on-demand tool that can simplify complex concepts, generate academic answers and produce personalised assistance? That’s an incredibly powerful, tempting asset for students.
But does the research follow these assumptions on why students are using AI? And does this reliance on AI have detrimental effects on learning?
What does the latest research say about Generative AI?
A recent study examined why and how university students use Generative AI (still the most popular AI chatbot) and how this may impact their learning. To start, they asked 494 students to fill out 3 surveys:
- Survey 1: Students reported how difficult they found their workload, how much time pressure they felt to complete assignments and how sensitive they were to rewards such as receiving high academic grades.
- Survey 2: Students indicated how strongly they related to 8 statements about ChatGPT to measure how often they used AI tools.
- Survey 3: Students reported whether they experienced memory loss and how often they engaged in procrastination.
The researchers also obtained the Grade Point Average (GPA) of each student.
They found that those who were struggling with their academic workload and felt time pressure to complete assignments tended to use ChatGPT much more often. This suggests that demanding academic environments encourage students to seek shortcuts, such as ChatGPT, to manage their tasks.
Analysis also showed that whilst AI may help students cut corners, it also has significant drawbacks. Students who frequently consulted ChatGPT were more likely to develop procrastination tendencies, experience memory loss, and have a lower academic grade point average. Researchers suggested this may be because using AI can prevent students from actively engaging with the material.
Tips to help manage students’ Generative AI usage
As we’ve seen, Generative AI tools can often be more harmful than helpful for student learning. Unfortunately, the growth of AI doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. So, what can we do to discourage students from using Generative AI excessively?
1. Help students plan ahead
Students often use AI because they feel like they have too much to do and not enough time to do it. In this case, it may be worthwhile to work on their time management skills. Helping students plan ahead and space out their work may help students feel less pressured when it comes to assignments, reducing the likelihood that they will use Generative AI to save time and effort.
If you want to start working with students on their time management skills, teaching them about The Planning Fallacy, overcoming procrastination, and the benefits of doing the hard task first may be some great places to start.
2. Reward effort, not just grades
Students seem to be using Generative AI because they feel pressure to perform well. But in cutting corners with Generative AI programs like ChatGPT, they require less effort and so have less opportunity to cognitively process the material. As we’ve seen, this can then lead to poorer academic outcomes.
One way to combat this may be to reward students for their effort instead of just their performance. One study showed that children who are praised just for their intelligence seem to care more about obtaining a grade or completing a task, rather than actually engaging with content and improving their skills. Conversely, children who are praised for the effort they put into tasks are more likely to enjoy activities, more likely to ask for feedback, and perform better overall. It’s possible that praising students for the effort they put in may encourage them to actively engage with the content and improve their knowledge, rather than just using AI to make the grade or finish the assignment.
3. Teach students to use AI as a mentor
Although these tips may help lessen the use of Generative AI in classrooms, we have to accept that we cannot eradicate it. Instead, teachers may be able to help guide students so they are using it appropriately and in moderation.
One way to do this may be to encourage students to use AI as a learning mentor instead of using it to do their work for them. A recent study suggested that using ChatGPT as just a tutor may negate the negative effects of AI whilst still aiding academic performance. Students can use it to create study plans, explain topics, and generate quiz questions, which can help them reap the benefits of AI without becoming overly reliant on it.
Final thoughts
Generative AI represents a significant shift in the landscape of education. But it is a double-edged sword. If we get it right, hopefully, it can help reduce teacher workloads and accelerate student learning. But if we get it wrong, we create a culture of shortcuts where we value the output more than the process. This, ultimately, has the power to hindering learning.
Although the AI boom seems overwhelming and unbeatable, there are a few things we can do as teachers to help lessen its negative impact. We can work with students to help them structure their learning so they don’t feel the need to use AI as a crutch. And we can adapt, teaching students how to use AI productively.
To help your staff to understand and apply the latest and most important Cognitive Science research such as this, join our Teacher CPD Academy today!
