In an op-ed for the Winnipeg Free Press, “Why I expelled AI from the classroom,” Stuart Chambers, a professor at the University of Ottawa, explores the complex topic of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education and why he banned it in his sociology classes. He cites research showing how AI use can harm a student’s comprehension, including work done by GW Engineering’s Lorena A. Barba, who found that over-reliance on AI leads to an “illusion of competence.”
Here is an excerpt from the article: “Barba further explains how students “may feel competent after using AI, but this feeling can mask a lack of comprehension, leading to gaps in their learning.” In other words, no matter how intelligent they think they are, students who employ AI as a crutch are less knowledgeable.”
Read the full article on Winnipeg Free Press.