Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become an integral part of the\nlearning activities of students and undergraduates, with its usage\nbecoming widespread in developed nations.<\/p>\n
A survey by Chegg last year showed that 80% of students in developed\ncountries use AI to assist their studies. This figure has surged in\nrecent surveys, reaching 94% in the United Kingdom and 93% in\nGermany.<\/p>\n
However, behind the convenience offered by AI, a serious issue has\nemerged. The technology that enables students to complete assignments\nmore quickly may actually cause their ability to face examinations to\ndecline.<\/p>\n
Research conducted by David Stromberg from Stockholm University,\nalongside Victor Lei and Wu Yanhui from the University of Hong Kong,\ninvolving 27,000 students aged 12-18 in China, uncovered shocking facts.\nApproximately 80% of students admitted to using AI tools such as Doubao\nand DeepSeek. After six months, their homework grades increased by an\naverage of 18% across various subjects.<\/p>\n
Not only did grades improve, but the time taken to complete\nassignments also dropped drastically, from an average of 64 minutes to\n45 minutes. Yet, when entering the examination hall, these advantages\nvanished.<\/p>\n
Students using AI recorded exam scores 20% lower than those who did\nnot use it. This finding challenges the assumption that high assignment\ngrades always reflect learning proficiency. Before the AI era, homework\ngrades could be used to estimate student performance in exams. Now,\nstudents with the highest assignment grades could potentially be the\ngroup most at risk of performing poorly during exams.<\/p>\n
Should schools ban AI? The answer is not that simple. The decline in\nexam scores occurred primarily among students who used AI to accelerate\ntask completion. Conversely, students who used AI but still allocated as\nmuch time to the work as those not using AI experienced only a slight\ndecline in performance.<\/p>\n
This highlights a crucial point: AI itself is not the problem;\nrather, it is how students use it. Students who maintained their exam\nperformance did not merely ask chatbots for answers to copy and paste.\nInstead, they tended to use AI as a personal tutor, for instance, to\nexplain difficult concepts, test understanding, or assist in solving\nspecific problems.<\/p>\n
These findings align with other research by Zara Contractor and\nGerm\u00e1n Reyes from Middlebury College. Undergraduates who studied new\ntopics with the help of chatbots recorded higher test scores than those\nwho studied without AI. This advantage even persisted when tests were\nrepeated one week later.<\/p>\n
This means that AI can indeed be an effective learning tool, but\nthere is a clear limit. If AI is used to assist thinking, it can\nstrengthen the learning process. If AI is used to replace the thinking\nprocess, the results could backfire.<\/p>\n
Learners now face a new temptation: before they even attempt to think\nthrough a problem, they can immediately ask AI for the answer. This\nmarks a new chapter in the challenges facing education. AI may make\nstudents more productive in completing assignments, but if every\ndifficulty is immediately delegated to a machine, students may lose the\nvery ability that is tested in the classroom: the ability to think\nindependently.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ai-helps-students-complete-assignments-but-blunts-their-ability-during-exams-1788609248", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }