Is AI Affecting Academics at Stonehill College?

By Emma McGrory

 

         About 85% of college students indicate they’ve used generative AI for their college coursework in the last year, according to a survey by Inside Higher Ed. 

         This survey on generative AI shows that using this advancing technology hasn’t diminished the value of college for students but has the potential to affect their critical thinking skills, according to the Inside Higher Ed. Additionally, the study said 35% of college students believe AI has not changed how they view or value the purpose of college. 

         Ron Leone, professor and department chair of Communication and Media Studies at Stonehill College, said generative AI is a valuable tool, “if used judiciously, appropriately and for organization”. 

         Martha Lord, a sophomore at Stonehill College, said she uses generative AI to create outlines for assignments and study guides for exams. “[AI] can be so helpful. It’s really helped me prepare better for tests.”

Meaghan Fealy, a sophomore at Stonehill College, said her international business class allows her to use generative AI during specific assignments. Fealy said it helps her to better understand the work and get more clarity on what she needs to do next. 

         AI-powered learning platforms use data-driven algorithms to assess student performance and adapt content to meet their specific learning needs, according to a study by Zawacki-Ritcher et al., 2019. This personalization can reduce stress and allow students to progress at their own pace which improves academic performance and emotion-wellbeing for students like Lord and Fealy, according to Zawacki-Ritcher et al. 

         According to a study by Blanka Klimova and Marcel Pikhart, professors at the University of Hradec Kralove in Czech Republic, the main benefits of AI use for college students are personalized learning, enhanced mental health support, time-saving, inclusion of diverse learning needs, and improved communication efficiency. 

         Lord said that although generative AI can be helpful, it can create more problems than solve. Professors can be strict when it comes to the use of AI in their courses, according to Lord.  

         Leone said that in his classes, he encouraged students to use AI “to get the ball rolling”. 

He said that it became a problem when students let the AI continue to do the work and “prompt a computer to do the thinking”. 

         “Ai can easily promote laziness on top of lack of thinking,” said Leone. He said when students let the generative AI do the work for them, it suggests an inability to have depth in their thought beyond surface level thinking.  

         Leone said this devalues the experience and purpose of being a college student in some ways. “The idea is that we think more deeply about things and write in certain disciplines. AI just hands you the answer,” said Leone.

         Fealy said her professors limit the use of generative AI in her classes. “We can only use it if we are told we can, but my professors are starting to use it more” said Fealy. 

         Leone said he started to change his rubric in his classes, as generative AI tools are becoming more common, and easier to detect. He said the depth of students thinking in their work has started to replace grammar in his rubrics to combat the overuse of AI in certain assignments.