what we’ve learnt about how students are using AI, and how to help them
what we’ve learnt about how students are using AI, and how to help them
Publish Date: 2026-02-03 08:51:00
Source Domain: theconversation.com
Much is being said about the wonders of artificial intelligence (AI) and how it is the new frontier. And while it provides amazing possibilities in fields like medicine, academics are debating its advantages for university students. Peet van Aardt researches student writing and presents academic writing workshops at the University of the Free State Writing Centre, helping students to build clear arguments, summarise essay structure and express their opinions in their own voice. He also spearheads the Initiative for Creative African Narratives (iCAN), a project that assists students in getting their original stories published. Here he shares his experiences and thoughts on the use of generative AI at university.
What are your biggest concerns about the growth of AI-generated material from students?
The use of generative AI to compose assignments and write essays is widely reported, and its potentially detrimental effects on critical thinking and research are clear.
My biggest concern is that it takes away academic agency from students. By that I mean it takes the proverbial pen out of our students’ hands. If they over-rely on it (which we see they tend to do), they no longer think critically and no longer express their own voices.
Student voice might be lost when AI does the writing.
Clout, Unsplash, CC BY
This is particularly important in African universities, where student voice and the intellectual contribution of students to society are drivers of social change and decolonisation.
How can you tell if a text is written by a student or is AI generated?
Flawless grammar and clichés are the first two signs. Generic, shallow reasoning is another. Finally, the generative AI answer does not tend to relate well to topics set in a local context.
If I take student short stories that have been submitted to our iCAN project as an example, I see more and more tales set in some…
