Mohammad Amaan

March 12, 2025

How AI is Changing How Students Learn: An Exploratory Essay

Introduction: The Rise of AI in Education

AI is changing rapidly these days, and with it comes transformation in human life in all aspects.

In education-the use of characterized chatbots, adaptive tutoring systems, and automated grading

with AI has made learning less cumbersome and effective. But among the questions that linger is

this: Is AI improving the way students learn, or does it create a dependency while eroding the

critical-thinking skills of students? This exploratory essay carries out with the evolving role of AI

in education by looking into different viewpoints regarding its merits and demerits before

culminating in an all-rounded conclusion on its contribution, both positive and negative, to

student learning.

The Problem: AI’s Growing Influence on Student Learning

The educational field has, moreover, been pretty dynamic on the basis of technological things.

There were times in the traditional education that put higher emphasis on face-to-face inspection;

critical thinking; and problem-solving through active participation of students. Nevertheless,

with text producers and analysis tools like ChatGPT, Grammarly, or some other adaptive learning

platform programs, in college, tenderers do have quite little to fret about-they do not need to

receive the meaning of the answer as essentially, they shall now gain instantaneously answers,

error corrections into the matter of grammar, and literary composition that is done through
automated programs. The question now is that the adoption of AIs either enhances or minimizes

the students' ability of independent thinking. A related matter is that tutoring systems growingly

put trust in their assistance from AI technology. AI tutors offer the learner: personalized analysis-

they guide him/her through very intricate concepts. However, the detractors raise a notion that

through such comfort, this latter part may be so difficult for youngsters; it does lessen the

perseverance in answering problems as students tend to appeal to rapid solutions over less

profundity in understanding. With it, though, there are also ongoing debates on other ethical

issues of plagiarism, personal information safety, and fairness of assessment with the use of AI.

Perspective 1: AI as a Tool for Personalized Learning

The most common argument for the use of AI in education points to its ability to provide a

personalized learning experience. In a traditional classroom, teachers have to deal with a whole

class of students with different needs. AI, in that sense, can build lessons adapted to the

individual student. According to EdTech Magazine, Li 2023, AI tutoring systems analyze

students’ strengths and weaknesses so that lesson plans can be adapted based on the findings. In

this way, they can provide targeted help, improving understanding and engagement. In addition,

students can study at their own pace, especially if the conventional teaching methods do not suit

them. AI helps in fine-tuning education because it offers real-time feedback and adapted

exercises put into practice, ensuring that every student grasps a certain concept before they move

on. While personalized learning is one of the most significant advantages, some teachers are

worried that AI cannot achieve many of the emotional intelligence skills that human teachers

often rely on. While AI may be able to conduct more formalized learning, it lacks the many skills

of student motivation, empathy, and inspiration that real teachers provide, not to mention the

attentive teachers filled with care and warmth who have always been called mentors.
Perspective 2: The Risk of Over-Reliance on AI

Despite the advantage that artificial intelligence offers in accessibility and efficiency, critics warn

that relying too much on it also damages critical thinking. According to Jones from The

Chronicle of Higher Education, there are ongoing worries over originality and academic effort

because students rely on writing assistants like Grammarly or ChatGPT to produce their essays.

Students risk acceptance of AI-provided content without questioning veracity or bias, thus failing

to develop analytical and creative writing skills themselves.

Automated grading and assessment, however, may be the most worrying concern. Increasingly,

institutions use AIs for grading multiple-choice tests and short essays alike. But research has

shown that sometimes AI grading systems misinterpret nuanced answers, unfairly grading them

(Selwyn 2022). This raises ethical concerns as to whether it is right to let AI replace human

evaluation in education.

Alarm bells are sounded now over academic dishonesty. There are tools through which students

can produce entire essays within seconds and could misuse whatever AI technology is available

in place of genuine engagement with the subject matter. Therefore, learning will become shallow,

cramping the student's ability to solve real-life challenges.

Perspective 3: AI as a Complement, not a Replacement

On the opposite side is the view that uses AI to support conventional learning methods, not to

challenge them. AI can contribute greatly to education by automating mundane tasks such as

grading quizzes and providing instant feedback, while teachers can focus on higher-order skills

instruction, such as critical thinking and mentorship. Together with human input and ethical

principles, AI integration inside classrooms appears to be best working (2024). Successful

but does not replace teacher-led instruction. For example, some universities are now using drafts

of essays generated by AI as a starting point to encourage students to refine and critique AI's

responses rather than just submitting them. Educators and policymakers promote responsible AI

use, wherein students are taught how to utilize AI ethically while developing other skills of

problem-solving and analysis. This way, there is no way that AI can supersede human cognition

but will enhance it.

Conclusion: Striking a Balance

Arising from the multifarious views consulted, there exists a conclusion that the opportunities

and challenges AI presents in education are divergent. While AI can offer personalized learning

experiences, enhance accessibility, and relieve one of tedious tasks, some apprehensive fears

exist that it may dent the aspect of critical thinking, creativity, brainwork, or academic honesty

due to high reliance on it. To optimize on the advantages AI can offer, there is an obligation for

institutions to try to instill within students an ethical code on how to treat AI-a learning guide,

not a shortcut. AI must fill the gaps left by traditional instruction models rather than

disenfranchise the human teacher's essential and irreplaceable role. Used with caution and

consideration, AI has much to bring to quality education and can make learning adaptive,

interesting, and efficient for the generations to come.

Li, Jessica. "How AI Tutors Are Changing Education." EdTech Magazine, 2023.

Selwyn, Neil. "Will AI Replace Teachers? The Reality of AI in Classrooms." Journal of Learning

Technologies, 2022.

Jones, Mark. "AI-Powered Writing Assistants: Helping or Hurting Students?" The Chronicle of

Higher Education, 2023.

"AI in Education: How School Districts Can Use Artificial Intelligence." EdTech Magazine,

2021.

"The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Students' Learning Experience." SSRN, 2024.