Given permission to use AI, most college students show surprising restraint in their final essays

Given permission to use AI, most college students show surprising restraint in their final essays

When given permission and guidance to use artificial intelligence tools in college writing classes, students largely rely on the software for brainstorming and research rather than having it write essays for them wholesale. These findings, published in the Journal of Writing Research, suggest that students employ computerized text generators selectively to augment their learning process. The study also revealed unexpected differences in how non-…

Writing with AI Demands More Thought From Students, Not Less

In a new study, an Iowa State researcher upends the idea that AI simplifies writing, showing instead that it raises the cognitive stakes for students. The study identifies three key thresholds that reveal why using AI well takes more judgment, experimentation and agency than many students expect.