Musings: Students need teachers to guide AI use in college

About 10 years ago, a student in one of my writing classes made everyone laugh when he held up his smartphone and jokingly proclaimed, “Who needs to think when you have this? My phone is my brain!”

Today, in the age of artificial intelligence, few people on college campuses would find such pronouncements funny. In fact, many faculty see AI as eroding higher education’s foundations and threatening one of its most important missions: teaching students the thinking, reasoning and writing skills necessary to become educated adults.

Conducting research, solving challenging problems, interpreting data, grappling with complex issues and communicating effectively long have been regarded as essential tools for student success in college. But with AI’s ability to perform such tasks almost effortlessly, some educators worry that students will see no need to expend their own mental energy developing these critical skills.

A recent Massachusetts Institute of Technology report on AI’s impact on teaching and learning appears to confirm these concerns. MIT faculty write that AI can trigger “cognitive surrender” — a willingness on the part of many students to rely on chatbots instead of their own intellects for solutions to demanding assignments.

The MIT study also notes, ominously but perhaps not surprisingly, that students who use AI technologies extensively are less likely to remember what they’ve learned than classmates who complete assignments on their own.

So, are universities headed for extinction? Not at all, in my view. But higher education should use this moment to reexamine its approaches to teaching, developing assignments and assessing student learning.

Some faculty are already considering these issues and exploring ways to integrate AI into their courses without compromising the academic integrity of their work. Others argue that AI may fit some courses — and address some students’ needs — but not all. Clearly, the jury is still out.

Still, as colleges strive to understand AI’s possible place in the classroom, they also need to remember the importance of good teaching. For all its potential, AI alone won’t help students become better learners, more sophisticated thinkers or more informed citizens.

Pairing this extraordinary technology with dedicated teachers — who can offer thoughtful instruction, feedback, advice and encouragement at critical junctures in students’ education — may indeed lead to good outcomes.

— Richard J. Conway, Massapequa