The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in education has significantly transformed the way students learn. It offers enhanced personalised learning experiences and improves overall educational outcomes. As AI adoption in higher education continues to grow, institutions are increasingly using these technologies to streamline processes, boost productivity, and foster innovation.
According to a report by the National Literacy Trust, 56.5% of colleges have already adopted AI to enhance the efficiency of their educational practices. In fact, a study by Campus Technology reveals that 86% of college students are actively using AI to optimise their learning. While the potential benefits of AI in education are clear, questions remain about its long-term impact.
One key concern is whether AI might be slowing down learning for students as it becomes more pervasive in the classroom. In this article, we’ll explore this important question and assess both the advantages and potential pitfalls of AI in the evolving landscape of higher education.
Is AI Slowing Down Learning for College Students? An Unbiased Analysis
Artificial Intelligence has had a dramatic impact on higher education in the UK. According to Hepi, 53% of students rely on generative AI to assist them in the preparation of assessments. The students and the teaching staff implement AI techniques to improve the quality of the educational experience in the classroom.
In the discussion below, we will weigh both the positive and negative sides of the impact of AI on the cognitive abilities of students. We will do a detailed analysis of the good and bad aspects and leave the rest to you to decide.
Let’s dissect the reasons and see if the AI tools are slowing down the learning process for college students or not.
1. High Trust on AI
According to Forbes, among the 2.6 million users, students rated the accuracy of AI-generated work at 7.2 out of an overall 10. According to students, there is a high regard in their heads for the work written by AI tools. Given how much trust and dependency the students have grown to have on AI, there is an opportunity that they will start relying on these tools too much.
However, when the data sources of the AI models are considered, there is a potential bias and scepticism towards that information. The impact of generative AI on students’ learning may be adverse or good depending on the use and dependency of students on these tools. If you feel like you are relying too much on artificial intelligence and need help from a professional expert, get in touch with a custom assignment writing service online. They can tailor the papers per your guidelines and ensure that you get the best grades on your assignments.
The inherent learning of students from these sources can support the overall educational experience of students. However, with proper encouragement and double-checking of all the data sources, AI can positively influence the writing journey of hundreds of students. It can have both good and bad impacts.
2. Dependency and Overreliance
If students start to depend too much on AI for all kinds of answers, their ability to solve critical problems and think clearly can be impacted. You might have noticed that some students start to use AI completely without genuinely comprehending the entire material. They only gain a superficial understanding of the subject and trust the ability of AI to generate relevant answers for them.
If this issue is not regulated and checked regularly, the students will not be able to build an understanding of different academic topics. This heavily and negatively impacts their academic growth and performance.
The solution to this issue does not lie in banning all AI tools in the classroom, as the impact of generative AI on students is far more positive. However, students can use AI as a crutch to support their learning processes. They can also use the tools to brainstorm ideas for the projects but should not depend endlessly on AI to do everything for students.
3. Ethical Considerations
Not all of the legislation and policies of generative AI have yet caught up. It means that both the learners and teachers are still able to use the tools in the ways they should not utilise them. The main ethical considerations associated with generative AI’s impact on students are the following:
- Bias – the AI content you consume may not equally represent all the groups.
- Training – the moderators and AI may not have enough training to use AI-generated content in their documents
- Plagiarism – sometimes students submit the AI-generated content as their own and it becomes problematic
- Copyright Infringement – this involves using the data that the AI tools have copied from somewhere else
- Unequal Access – this involves making AI a core part of the study curriculum when not all the learners can benefit from it
The best way to ensure that you are using AI tools ethically is to abide by the comprehensive policies of the school. The colleges and schools in the UK should approve some AI tools and provide guidelines for their suitable and appropriate usage. Furthermore, these policies should be revised constantly as continuous challenges are happening in AI, and you never know what ethical issue you will be facing with the use of all the tools.
4. Data Protection and Privacy
When you are sharing information with AI as a student, you may easily forget that it stores and keeps records of everything that you have asked. You can never be sure if that data ends up in the wrong hands or not. Different software companies can sell the data to third parties for different marketing purposes.
If there is a data leak, the sensitive details of your data can be exposed to the public. According to UK International School Qualifications, the experts have been able to spot over 100, 000 ChatGPT accounts on the dark web that were hacked. Both the schools and students should practice different safeguarding measures, like using complex data and strong passwords.
To keep the learning process smooth and ongoing, students should not enter personal details in the AI tools, and they should not use prompts. The anonymity should ensure that all kinds of personal details about students, their academic lives and their identity remain confidential.
5. Dehumanisation of Learning
The reliance of students on generative AI can diminish the important role of human teachers in fostering critical thinking and social interactions among students. It can also hinder the chances of the emotional development and cognition improvement of students, which are all considered important parts of education.
For example, suppose an AI tutor provides quick feedback on different physics or maths problems. It cannot offer the level of guidance, encouragement, and real-time correction that human teachers do. According to Mobile Guardian, the presence of a teacher is important in answering the questions of students and guiding them towards a deeper understanding via different discussions.
While checking the impact of generative AI on students, it has been noticed that these tools have led to the dehumanisation of the learning process. There must be a balance between traditional and online learning for students.
6. Limiting Students’ Ability to Think
Some students also end up in the vicious cycle of relying so badly on AI that they slow down their cognitive faculties really bad. Imagine relying on a Chabot every time you have to answer a tough question. This slows down their ability to think, and they start depending too much on external students.
Today, in universities, students are habitual in asking for AI tools for academic help and not doing critical thinking by themselves. This corrodes their ability to think, and they don’t use their own mental abilities to evaluate different processes.
We can also conclude that the unregulated use of AI is limiting the ability of students to use their own brains for thinking purposes. It can tarnish their objective thinking and analysis skills and also impede their academic progress in the long run. To achieve all the objectives one has in mind, one should learn to use their own mind.
7. Can Lead to Bullying and Disinformation
A survey by the Harvard Graduate School of Education shows that generative AI can be a space for both positive and negative consequences for students. There are as many potential harms of bullying associated with AI which cannot be ignored. People can pick AI gadgets and use them to say something that the original person never said or at least never intended to say.
A number of teens also reported that they used AI to create voices and images that could be used to promote bullying outside of a learning environment. The deepfake technology can particularly hurt the reputation of other people. Some students also use AI to mimic the voices of their parents and trick the school teachers and administration in the long run.
Overall, this leads to the learning process of students being slowed down as it lifts parental control over them. They can fake the sounds and reports and do harm to their own grades. In the same way, they can modify the grade reports and show them to their parents, which will be harmful to them in the long run.
Positive Impacts of AI on the Learning of College Students
We have discussed above how AI has a negative impact on students’ learning process. Now, we will see how positively the learning of students is affected by the AI tools:
1. Productive Use of AI
AI chatbots can almost act like personalised teachers for students as they can get the answers to their questions at any time of the day or night. There is no need to bug your teachers or parents at odd times to know the answers. You can always ask the AI gadgets to do the job for you. These tools can also improve the learning of students by constructively helping them.
They can also use AI to assist them with a range of different activities. There are different apps for every school subject that can help students finish their homework. One basic example of this is research. The learners can use different tools to learn about new topics and verify the sources for research and content. This further reduces the workload for teachers and makes them relaxed.
AI is particularly good for reserved and shy students, and they will not be dismissed or judged when they ask questions. As they learn more about a topic, their confidence and knowledge increase, and they may even want to participate in the classroom environment. Hence, the productive use of such gadgets helps students in positive ways.
2. Improved Collaboration and Communication
AI facilitates collaborative learning by providing tools such as virtual study groups, intelligent discussion forums, and project management platforms. These technologies enable students to share ideas, exchange feedback, and work together on assignments, even when they are geographically apart.
By fostering a collaborative environment, AI helps build essential teamwork skills while promoting active engagement and effective communication. Additionally, these tools can connect students with peers worldwide, broadening their perspectives and enhancing cross-cultural understanding.
3. Getting Answers to Unasked Questions
There may be some questions in the classroom that students are too afraid to ask their fellows or the teachers out of shyness and embarrassment. However, with the use of AI, according to the Harvard Graduate School of Education, 51% of students said they used AI at some point, while 4% of them are daily users. They get answers to unconventional questions that they may be unable to ask in the classroom out of fear of judgment.
While there is still a big chance that there may be a risk of getting potentially incorrect information, many students say they use generative AI for constructive purposes. They use the platform to ask questions that may even be afraid to ask adults in real life.
Hence, teachers and parents should be sure that AI can provide their students and kids with reliable answers on any subject under the sun. The question may be appropriate or inappropriate in nature, but they get an answer regardless. This increases the intelligence level of students in general.
4. A Space to Create and Explore
One of the most important things that shows the importance of AI for students’ learning is that it has the potential for creativity and exploration in different niches. Many students use it for fun or just to get answers to different questions. However, some may also use it to write code, make music or write assignments like a pro.
These AI gadgets can help students show their creative sides to the world. They can make digital art and create new music using these tools. This significantly boosts the creative skills of all the learners, and they can improve their skills from before. This further improves the confidence of students in the classroom.
This use of artificial intelligence ensures that it is not only used for cheating but also for good and efficient purposes. Young adults and teenagers can especially benefit from the use of AI gadgets. Students should also explore their interests and use AI to explore the factors that may expand their productive activities.
5. 24/7 Learning Support
AI-powered virtual tutors and chatbots provide round-the-clock assistance, ensuring that students can access help with homework, clarify concepts, or practice for exams at any time. This constant availability removes the constraints of traditional classroom hours, enabling students to learn at their own pace.
By offering instant feedback and personalised guidance, these tools foster a sense of independence and empower students to take charge of their education. Over time, this flexibility enhances confidence and builds essential problem-solving skills, creating a supportive learning environment that adapts to individual needs.
Is AI a Problem in College?
As reported by the Harvard Graduate School of Education, unlike the popular opinion, AI is not used to cheat only. Maintaining academic integrity is a matter of concern for both adults and teens alike. Many students also highlight the positive experiences that they had with the help of generative AI. You can use it to benefit yourself and your studies.
However, the overdependence of students on AI can cause problems for students and hinder their ability to develop independent learning and critical thinking skills. Other than that, AI can be a valuable resource for teachers to deliver the special education needs of students.
How Does AI Affect Students’ Learning?
The custom learning paths can enable students to progress at their own pace, and they can delve deeper into the areas that they find interesting. Different learning platforms powered by AI can give real-time feedback to students and assess their work quickly. It also enables educators to seek different areas of improvement and prepare custom guidelines accordingly.
Speaking of the learning of students, as per EDUCAUSE Review, AI can affect it in a number of ways, including the following:
- It can provide the students with personalised and custom instructions.
- It can enhance and improve the critical thinking skills of students.
- AI can also prepare students to meet the evolving demands of the digital age.
- It contributes to the adaptive and dynamic educational experience of the students.
- Sometimes, it may cause students to over-independence on AI, which is bad.
How Will AI Affect Universities?
In universities, artificial intelligence can bridge the gap between academic research and its commercialisation. According to Forbes, AI can be considered a valuable resource for teachers so that they can augment their skills to adapt to new and better learning methods. The members of the workforce can also consistently update their knowledge and learn new skills to take on new challenges and responsibilities in the real world.
Chatbots and virtual assistants can provide people with instant and accurate data on any topic under the sun. Students, researchers, and teachers can also use it to organise complex data to create a personalised learning experience.
Will AI Replace Education?
Artificial Intelligence is not likely to replace teachers; however, it is most likely to replace traditional teaching methods. It can be used as a valuable way to enhance the quality of the learning experience of students. The reasons why AI cannot replace the need for teachers entirely are listed here:
1. Socio-Emotional Competencies
Artificial intelligence cannot provide students with the social and emotional competencies that can only be developed through contact with humans. To develop such traits in students, it’s important for them to stay in a traditional classroom. Hence, the old education methods will always be relevant.
2. Human Connection
The teachers can provide essential human connection and mentorship to students that AI cannot replace. No matter how personalised the learning experiences become, AI tools cannot replicate human connection. Hence, one can rest assured that artificial intelligence cannot replace education.
3. Critical Thinking Skills
For conducting research, having enough domain knowledge, human creativity, and critical thinking skills are important. AI cannot replace human creative faculties, and hence, it cannot replace education at all. Although you can expect it to make critical changes in the ways of research and education, it cannot entirely wipe the learning methods out.
4. Administrate Burdens
Educators go through a lot of administrative burdens already. The development of AI tools can reduce such burden on their shoulders. Ideally, the future of education will be shaped by the partnership of human expertise and technology. Therefore, the administrative burdens are expected to go down.
5. Personalised Learning
AI can be used as a powerful tool to deliver personalised and better learning experiences. It can identify students’ learning deficiencies and improve their overall learning environment. By using the AI gadgets, teachers and students personalise their learning practices.
Conclusion
We hope that you have now gotten the answer to the question of whether AI has slowed down the learning process of college students. It is up to the students themselves to limit the usage of such gadgets; otherwise, the impact of generative AI on students can be quite bad and unwanted.
College students ‘ over-reliance on generative AI can slowly push them towards a state of brain fog. Hence, if you want to ask for assistance with your academic papers, contact professional assignment writing firms online in the UK. They have a writing team consisting of expert human writers who can bring back the original touch of your writing.
Lastly, it’s important to take control of your academics in your hand and use artificial intelligence for constructive purposes only. Otherwise, too much use of AI gadgets is a huge risk to the safety of your cognitive abilities.
