Filtered by category: The Conversation × Clear
College students are writing with AI – but a pilot study finds they’re not simply letting it write for them
Matched: AI, Artificial Intelligence
A pilot study at Kennesaw State University used think-aloud protocols and screen recordings to observe how 20 undergraduates actually used AI while writing, rather than relying on surveys or finished papers. Researchers left the room to reduce self-conscious behavior. Students typically used AI for brainstorming and overcoming writer's block, but frequently edited or rejected its output, maintaining control over argument and voice. The findings suggest AI functions more as a collaborative tool than a ghostwriter, though researchers caution the small sample limits broader conclusions.
Generative AI in business schools: friend or foe?
Matched: AI, Artificial Intelligence
A UK study of 15 business graduates found students use ChatGPT routinely for drafting, summarising, and overcoming writer's block, but harbour nuanced concerns. Key tensions include unequal access to premium AI tools versus AI's potential to support students with disabilities or language barriers, and inconsistent institutional rules creating anxiety around academic integrity. Students also fear employers may undervalue their degrees as "AI-generated." Researchers recommend clearer guidelines, process-focused assessments, and equitable access to AI tools.
A writing professor’s new task in the age of AI: Teaching students when to struggle
Matched: AI
A writing professor describes navigating AI in higher education, neither banning it nor embracing it uncritically. Early classroom experiments revealed AI's errors and biases. Over time, she shifted from neutral observer to guide, asking students to write without AI so they can understand their own thinking first. Research shows AI use can improve short-term scores while hindering deeper learning. Her approach focuses on building student judgment about when AI helps versus when it undermines genuine intellectual development.
Colleges face a choice: Try to shape AI’s impact on learning, or be redefined by it
Matched: AI, Artificial Intelligence
Colleges are grappling with how AI reshapes education beyond just plagiarism concerns. Most institutions leave AI policy to individual professors rather than adopting campus-wide rules. Faculty have shifted from banning AI to guiding its use, with some redesigning assessments to include oral exams and live debates. Without coordinated institutional strategies, educators warn AI may quietly redefine what counts as learning.
The greatest risk of AI in higher education isn’t cheating – it’s the erosion of learning itself
Matched: AI, Artificial Intelligence
The real danger of AI in higher education isn't cheating but the erosion of learning itself, argue researchers from UMass Boston. As AI handles more teaching, research, and administrative tasks, universities risk hollowing out the mentorship pipelines and productive struggles that build genuine expertise. From automated advising to agentic research tools, the shift raises questions about transparency, accountability, and whether universities remain ecosystems that form human judgment or merely credential factories.
Short on resources, special educators are using AI – with little knowledge of the effects
Matched: AI, Artificial Intelligence
U.S. special education faces chronic underfunding and staffing shortages, pushing some educators toward AI tools to manage caseloads, draft individualized education plans, assist with assessments, and support professional training. While AI shows promise in reducing administrative burdens, serious concerns remain around student data privacy, algorithmic bias, legal compliance, and whether AI-generated plans truly serve individual children's needs. Empirical evidence that AI meets required standards of care is lacking.
Learning with AI falls short compared to old-fashioned web search
Matched: AI
A study of over 10,000 participants found that people who used AI chatbots like ChatGPT to learn about topics developed shallower knowledge than those who used standard Google search. LLM users felt they learned less, expended less effort, and produced shorter, less informative advice. Researchers attribute this to AI eliminating the active "friction" of navigating and synthesizing sources yourself — a process that deepens understanding.
Student cheating dominates talk of generative AI in higher ed, but universities and tech companies face ethical issues too
Matched: AI, Artificial Intelligence
Debates about AI in higher education focus mainly on student cheating, but broader ethical issues deserve attention. These include tech companies training AI models on copyrighted material, student data privacy under vendor agreements, and unequal access to AI tools. Experts argue responsibility shouldn't fall solely on students — universities should vet AI tools, disclose vendor terms transparently, and update academic integrity policies, while tech companies must address their own ethical violations.
AI in the courtroom: the dangers of using ChatGTP in legal practice in South Africa
Matched: AI, Artificial Intelligence
A South African court case in January 2025 highlighted dangers of AI in legal practice after a legal team submitted mostly fabricated case law generated by ChatGPT. Only two of nine cited authorities were real. The court deemed the conduct irresponsible and referred the matter to the Legal Practice Council. Legal academics argue law schools must urgently teach AI literacy, emphasising verification, critical thinking, and professional ethics alongside AI tool use.
Where does human thinking end and AI begin? An AI authorship protocol aims to show the difference
Matched: AI, Artificial Intelligence
A philosophy professor argues that AI threatens accountability in education and professions by obscuring whether humans actually did the thinking behind submitted work. He is piloting an "authorship protocol" at Temple University that uses conversational AI prompts to verify student reasoning aligns with their writing, without keystroke surveillance. The system issues secure tags certifying work met specified conditions, aiming to preserve human judgment rather than detect AI use.
Can AI keep students motivated, or does it do the opposite?
Matched: AI
AI tools can boost student motivation under the right conditions, but effects vary. Studies show benefits when tools are used consistently, teachers provide guidance, and students maintain agency. Purpose-built platforms like Khanmigo and ALEKS outperform general chatbots for sustained engagement. However, overreliance can erode confidence once AI is removed. Cost barriers also raise equity concerns, as specialized tools remain inaccessible to many students who could benefit most.
AI-generated lesson plans fall short on inspiring students and promoting critical thinking
Matched: AI, Artificial Intelligence
A study analyzing 311 AI-generated civics lesson plans from ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot found they largely promote rote memorization over critical thinking, with 90% of activities targeting only basic cognitive skills. Just 6% included multicultural content. Researchers recommend teachers use AI to supplement rather than replace their planning process, using detailed, framework-informed prompts instead of simple requests.
Why higher ed’s AI rush could put corporate interests over public service and independence
Matched: AI, Artificial Intelligence
Universities are rapidly forming corporate AI partnerships — with Nvidia, Microsoft, OpenAI and others — raising concerns about higher education's independence and public mission. Decades of corporatization have already shifted universities toward market-driven priorities, and AI is accelerating this trend. Financial pressures, enrollment declines, and competition for prestige may push institutions to prioritize commercial interests over academic freedom, public-good research, and democratic faculty governance.
How does AI affect how we learn? A cognitive psychologist explains why you learn when the work is hard
Matched: AI
Early research on AI in education shows mixed results, with some benefits but also evidence of impaired critical thinking and over-reliance. Cognitive psychology offers useful context: learning requires effortful "System 2" thinking, and offloading that work to AI can weaken knowledge retention and cause students to overestimate their own understanding. While AI tutors that use Socratic questioning show some promise, they haven't consistently outperformed traditional study methods and introduce their own metacognitive pitfalls.
Teachers are key to students’ AI literacy, and need support
Matched: AI, Artificial Intelligence
Teachers are underprepared for AI's rapid integration into classrooms, say Canadian researchers. The Canadian Teachers' Federation is urging federal and provincial governments to enact enforceable policies protecting student privacy and promoting ethical AI use. Experts argue teachers need tailored professional development covering AI literacy, societal impacts, and classroom integration strategies. A collaborative effort from policymakers, school boards, and researchers is essential to ensure AI adoption is strategic, equitable, and sustainable.
At one elite college, over 80% of students now use AI – but it’s not all about outsourcing their work
Matched: AI, Artificial Intelligence
A Middlebury College survey of 634 students found over 80% use generative AI for coursework, with most using it to enhance learning rather than cheat. Students most commonly used AI to explain concepts, describing it as an on-demand tutor. While 42% used AI for automation tasks like essay writing, this typically occurred during high-pressure periods or for low-stakes work. Findings were consistent with global data and verified against Anthropic's actual usage logs.
Kids need soft skills in the age of AI, but what does this mean for schools?
Matched: AI, Artificial Intelligence
As generative AI threatens white-collar jobs, schools are rethinking what skills students need. Unlike prior automation, AI can simulate coding, writing, and data analysis, making soft skills like emotional awareness, problem-solving, and interpersonal ability increasingly valuable. Teachers can build these through reflective exercises and real-world problem-solving. Experts also warn against letting AI shortcut learning, since effort is essential to building skills.
Generative AI is coming to the workplace, so I designed a business technology class with AI baked in
Matched: AI, Artificial Intelligence
A University of Wisconsin-Stout professor integrated Microsoft 365 Copilot into a senior business technology capstone course, having students explore the tool freely and journal their experiences. Students quickly grew comfortable using AI to summarize meetings, draft slides, and review assignments, but struggled initially with writing effective prompts and encountered AI hallucinations, reinforcing the need for fact-checking. The instructor noted AI requires more critical reflection than standard software and plans to embed generative AI across more courses, emphasizing literacy over reliance.