In a recent article for University World News, Jessica Pallant (RMIT University) discusses how instructors can encourage students to use AI to deepen—not shortcut—their learning experience. Pallant explains that a student’s approach to AI influences their learning outcomes and directly impacts their thinking capabilities. Her team’s research found that a mastery mindset was correlated with higher grades, demonstrated higher critical thinking skills, and showed stronger learning autonomy, while those with a task completion mindset tended to remain at basic understanding. Among her recommendations, Pallant encourages creating assessments that actively encourage mastery goal orientations by requiring students to compare, contrast, and critically evaluate generative AI outputs against their personal understanding.
