Student Research Guide WQ25/ Impact of AI on Academic Skills in Higher Education

• This source comes from the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence website and discusses the overall mission, goals, and core values of this association. This website was beneficial to the research conducted to understand the purpose of their research, as well as the year in which the association was founded to further advance AI technology. 

• This source examines the effects of having a growth mindset compared to a fixed mindset when adapting to artificial intelligence in educational environments. Elissa Farrow dives deeper into the perspectives of educators within the topic of AI technology being implented into education and how their opinions shape their ability to accept this new way of learning, and this information benefited the research for this guide by interpreting these mentalities into the minds of students in college settings. 

• Lorraine Bennett and Ali Abusalem examined the impacts of artificial intelligence in higher education in relation to the future of learning. They also discuss the potential changes that can be made to improve the learning experience through the implementation of AI, the potential risks of using AI technology, and other opportunities to enhance learning overall. This source provided critical context about algorithmic bias to further support the argument for this guide. 

Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

• Encyclopedia Brittanica published this article that focuses on algorithms in computer science, providing a clear definition, the process of an algorithm, and some history behind the origin of this technological advancement. This source was useful for thoroughly understanding algorithms and their purpose, as they are extremely important in the context of artificial intelligence that heavily relies on algorithms for its success. 

• Another beneficial source from Encyclopedia Brittanica; this article provides various ways in which artificial intelligence is utilized, along with the different purposes for multiple AI systems and their functions. It also gives a definition for artificial intelligence, the methods and goals of AI, and the many ways it is trained by programmers and developers. This source was important for understanding other types of AI systems and retaining general knowledge on the topic to relay in this guide. 

• This source discusses the history and origin of artificial intelligence, providing a timeline of both events and inventions leading up to the present day of AI technology. This article was extremely useful for understanding how artificial intelligence came to be what it is today, as the majority of historical information provided in this guide came from this source. 

• Matthew Clarke published this article to Criminal Legal News to provide important information regarding racial and algorithmic bias in predictive policing models. The article discusses two types of predictive policing and how these systems are trained, along with listing and explaining various programs that police departments use to predict crimes in surrounding areas. This information was beneficial to comprehending algorithmic bias and positive feedback loops in AI models and how this directly correlates to similar risks in AI algorithms within the education sector.

• This article presents the debate on whether or not AI technology is doing more harm than good in society and vice versa. It gives background information on the history of AI, following with in-depth descriptions for the pros and cons of each argument. This source provided altering perspectives about artificial intelligence that were utilized in this guide. 

• Allie Garnett explains the many ways in which artificial intelligence is regulated on a federal and state level. She also describes the pros and cons of regulating AI technology and highlights the ways in which artificial intelligence is especially challenging to regulate properly. This information was important to understanding the issues of regulating AI in order to come up with potential solutions to this ongoing problem. 

• This article dives deeper into the Dartmouth Summer Research Project in particular, as a large portion of the history surrounding AI began with this project. Chow includes direct quotes from John McCarthy, the creator of the project, and also provides a small timeline of events from 1948-1969. This source was especially beneficial for utilizing quotes from historical figures who contributed to the invention of AI. 

• This article examines the perspectives of artificial intelligence through a cross-sectional questionnaire conducted for educators and students in relation to the writing process within college settings. This is followed by an analysis of the results from both parties and evaluating the similarities, concerns, benefits, and differing views between staff and students. This source provided valuable information regarding the perspectives of the two major groups included in this guide, specifically for the educators mentalities about artificial intelligence. 

• This source from the National Math and Science Initiative provides a general overview describing the pros and cons of artificial intelligence in the realm of education. It also discusses four main focuses of AI technology in the education sector to differentiate between the different approaches used in artificial intelligence and the groups it focuses on. This source was beneficial to the counterargument within this guide, clearly listing the risks involved with AI. 

• Coming from Pew Research Center, this article discusses the increased usage of ChatGPT within various age groups in relation to the untrustworthiness of election information through this platform. Due to this distrust and the increase of ChatGPT use, this article was helpful for understanding the concerns about misinformation within AI technology and clearly showed the statistics of young adults in the typical college age range who utilize AI more than other age groups. 

• This source examines more perspectives on artificial intelligence through the lens of educators in higher education by surveying thirty staff members at a leading university in Australia. Additionally, the results are analyzed and concluded, leading into an array of solutions to keep educators routinely informed about AI and reduce concerns about its implementation into college coursework. This information added to the perspectives of educators within this guide and aided in potential solutions to enhance academic skills in college settings. 

• Kinza Yasar and Laura Fitzgibbons discuss the definition and purpose of positive and negative feedback loops, as well as what they do in different industries, such as marketing, computer science, psychology, and artificial intelligence/machine learning. This source was extremely useful to understanding what feedback loops do and how it relates to algorithmic bias in AI systems. 

• This study conducted by Thomas Jeffrey involves the attempt at understanding college students' perspectives on artificial intelligence by asking for their level of understanding about AI, their beliefs of potential benefits from AI, and their concerns for the future of AI. With results ranging from positive sentiments to genuine concerns, this study offerred valuable information about the perspectives of college students and how their level of knowledge about AI highly contributes to their fears and concerns. 

• This TEDTalk hosted by David Savill discusses the ways in which AI models such as ChatGPT do not have the abilities to read and write in the same way as humans. He also emphasizes how important theses tasks are for maintaining a functioning society, critical thinking skills, and the progression of human intelligence. This source provided many perspectives on AI technology in relation to academic skills to support the argument in this guide, adding to the push for a balanced solution.