Unstoppable Advance of Artificial Intelligence: Emergence of a New Learning Environment
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14738/abr.1401.19891Keywords:
ChatGPT-4, Learning and AI, New Learning Environment, Teaching AIAbstract
This phenomenological inquiry was based on the significance of disruptions caused by Artificial Intelligence in educational settings. The study explored the experiences of five graduate students using ChatGPT-4 to develop a literature review assignment in an online research course. Three textual datasets included 1) analytic memos; 2) student reflections; and 3) instructor-student conversations following assignment completion. Findings regarding analytic memos revealed that teaching students how to use AI proved invaluable as it created pressure-free learning, leading to improved cognitive transformation. Student reflections and conversations indicated that using AI responsibly and ethically resulted in intentional and reliable knowledge creation; and necessitated an informed understanding of its advantages as well as its practical limitations. While limited to five students with one course activity, this study highlighted the value of teaching students responsible use of AI which promoted metacognition, ethical judgment, and research literacy, as students critically evaluated rather than uncritically adopted AI-generated content. Importantly, when students face intellectually demanding yet attainable tasks, responsible AI integration helps them embrace the complexity and ambiguity of the new learning environment instead of bypassing these critical learning opportunities.
References
American Psychological Association (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://apastyle.apa.org/products/publication-manual-7th-edition
Anders, A.D., & Speltz, E. D. (2025). Developing generative AI literacies through self-regulated learning: A human-centered approach. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2025.100482
Appatova, V., & Horning, A. (2023). Developing critical literacy: An urgent goal. To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development 42(2), 4. doi: https://doi.org/10.3998/tia.2032
Aoun, J.E. (2017). Robot-proof: Higher education in the age of artificial intelligence. MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/11456.001.0001
Augilar, F. J. (1967). Scanning business environment. MacMillan Co.
Barbour, M. K., & Hodges, C. B. (2025). History repeats, we forget: Short memories when it comes to K-12 distance learning. Education Sciences, 15(4), 482.
Bowen, J. A., & Watson, E. C. (2024). Teaching with AI: A practical guide to a new era of human learning. Johns Hopkins University Press.
Cardona, M. A., Rodríguez, R. J., & Ishmael, K. (May 2023). Artificial intelligence and the future of teaching and learning: Insights and recommendations. US Department of Education Office of Educational Technology. https://www.ed.gov/sites/ed/files/documents/ai-report/aireport.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Carr, N. (2025). Superbloom: How technologies of connection tear us apart. W. W. Norton & Company.
Consilience Project. (June 26, 2022). Technology is not values neutral: Ending the reign of nihilistic design. We fail to take tech seriously when we do not grasp its full impact on humans.
Cotton, D. R., Cotton, P. A., & Shipway, J.R. (2023). Chatting and cheating. Ensuring academic integrity in the era of ChatGPT. Innovations in Education & Teaching International, 1-2. Scholar Publishing
Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). Pearson.
Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. Management Information Systems Quarterly, 13(3), 319-340. st
Dumont, H., & Istance, D. (2010). Analysing and designing learning environments for the 21 century. In H. Dumont, D. Istance, & F. Benavides (Eds.), The nature of learning: Using research to inspire practice (pp. 19-34). OECD.
The Economist. (July 9, 2025). How AI changes the way we think.
Elder, L., & Paul, R. (2013). 30 days to better thinking and better living through critical thinking: A guide for improving every aspect of your life. Pearson Education Inc.
Farinosi, M., & Melchior, C. (2025). To adopt or to ban? Student perceptions and use of generative AI in higher education. Humanity Social Sciences Communications, 12(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05982-7
Feller, S. (2014). Teaching and learning as explorative action games: Guidelines for the design of dialogic educational technology. In S. Feller, & I. Yengin (Eds.), Educating in dialog: Constructing meaning and building knowledge with dialogic technology (pp. 223-250).
Flanding, J. P., Grabman, G. M., & Cox, S. Q. (2019). The technology takers: Leading change in the digital era. Emerald Publishing Limited.
Gu, X., & Ericson, B. J. (2025). AI literacy in k-12 and higher education in the wake of Generative AI: An integrative review. ICE Proceedings of the 2025 ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research, 125 – 140. https://doi.org/10.1145/3702652.3744217
Guest, G., MacQueen, K. M., & Namey, E. E. (2012). Applied thematic analysis. SAGE Publications, Inc.
Hao, K. (2025). The empire of AI: Dreams and nightmares in Sam Altman’s AI. Penguin Press.
Holmes, W. (October 2023). The unintended consequences of artificial intelligence and education. Education International.
Horning, A. S. (2012). Reading, writing, and digitizing: Understanding literacy in the electronic age. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
James, W. (1918). Principles of psychology. Henry Holt and Company. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/57628/57628-h/57628-h.htm
Kahn, J. (2024). Mastering AI: A survival guide to our superpowered future. Simon & Schuster.
Kelly, R. (2024). Survey: 86% of students already use ai in their studies. Campus Technology. https://campustechnology.com/articles/2024/08/28/survey-86-of-students-already-use-ai-in-theirstudies.aspx?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Lee, V. R., Pope, D., Miles, S., & Z’arate, R.C. (2024). Cheating in the age of Generative AI: A high school survey study of cheating behaviors before and after the release of ChatGPT. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2024.100253
Leki, I. (1998). Academic writing: Exploring process and strategies (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Linton, R. (1936). The study of man: An introduction. Appleton-Century.
Luckin, R. (2025). Nurturing human intelligence in the age of AI: rethinking education for the future. Development and Learning in Organizations: An International Journal, 39(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1108/DLO-04-2024-0108
Scholar Publishing Manten, A. A. (1973). Scientific literature review. Scholarly Publishing 5, 75–89.
Mayer, R. (2010). Learning with technology. In H. Dumont, D. Istance, & F. Benavides (Eds.), The nature of learning: Using research to inspire practice (pp. 179-198). OECD.
Mezirow, J., & Taylor, E. W., and Associates. (2009). Transformative dimensions of adult learning (1st ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Mills, A. R. (2023, March 23). Chat GPT just got better. What does that mean for our writing assignments? Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.chronicle.com/article/chatgpt-just-gotbetter-what-does-that-mean-for-our-writing-assignments
Noroozi, O., Soleimani, S., Farrokhnia, M., & Banihashem, S.K. (2024). Generative AI in education: Pedagogical, theoretical, and methodological perspectives. International Journal of Technology in Education, 7(3), 373-385. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijte.845
Open AI’s ChatGPT-40. (2023). https //chat.chatbot.app
Olt, P. A., Dalat Ward, Y., Splichal, K., Dowda, R. L., & Elliot, I. (2025). Understanding and doing Research in Education & the Social Sciences. All Open Educational Resources. 14. DOI: 10.58809/CEPF8532
Ott, B.L. (2023). The digital mind: How computers (re)structure human consciousness. Philosophies, 8(1), 4. https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies8010004
Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods (4th ed.). Sage.
Pintrich, P. R. (2000). The role of goal orientation in self-regulated learning. In M. Boekaerts, P. R. Pintrich, & M. Zeidner (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation (pp. 451-502). Academic.
Risko, E. F., & Gilbert, S. J. (2016). Cognitive offloading. ScienceDirect, 20(9), 676-688
Rogers, E. M. (1993). Diffusion of innovations (4th ed.), Free Press.
Rogers, E.M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.), Free Press.
Saldaňa, J. (2016). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. SAGE.
Selwyn, N. (2023). Addressing the challenges of ai in education. Educational Research Review, 35, 100-110.
Taylor, E. W. (2009). Fostering transformative learning. In J. Mezirow, E. W. Taylor & Associates (Eds.), Transformative learning in practice: Insights from community, workplace, and higher education (pp. 3-17). Jossey-Bass.
Teo, T. (2011). Technology acceptance in education: Research and issues. Sense Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6091-487-4_1
Toscani, G. (2025). Augmented prAIority to enhance human judgment through data and AI. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
Touretzky, D., Gardner-McCune, C., Martic, F., & Seehorn, D. (July 2019). Envisioning AI for K-12: What should every child know about AI? Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence 33, 01, 9795–9799. doi:10.1609/aaai.v33i01.33019795
UNESCO (n.d.): Media and Information Literacy. https://www.unesco.org/en/media-informationliteracy
Vo, G. M., & Pancratz, N. (2023, 27 September). AI education in German K-10 computer science curricula. WiPSCE’23: Proceedings of the 18th WiPSCE Conference on Primary and Secondary Computing Education Research, 1-4.
Scholar Publishing Wang, K., Cui, W., & Yuan, X. (2025). Artificial intelligence in higher education: The impact of need satisfaction on artificial intelligence literacy mediated by self-regulated learning strategies. Behavioral Science, 15(2), 165. doi: 10.3390/bs15020165
Ward, J. G., Ward, Y. D., Wells, J., & Bejot, K. (2023). Superior performance competencies achieved through Destination Imagination experiences. Archives of Business Research, 11(9), 219–235. https://doi.org/10.14738/abr.119.15542
Watson, A. P. (2024). Hallucinated citation analysis: Delving into student-submitted AI-generated sources at the University of Mississippi. The Serials Librarian, 85(5–6), 172–180. https://doi.org/10.1080/0361526X.2024.2433640
Weick, K. E. (1995). Sensemaking in organizations. Foundation for Organizational Science, A Sage Publications Series.
William, J. (1918). Principles of psychology. Henry Holt and Company.
Williams, R., Ali, S., Alcantara, R., Burghleh, T., Alghowinem, S., & Breazeal, C. (2024). Doodlebot: An educational robot for creativity and AI literacy. In Proceedings of the 2024 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction. ACM, Boulder, CO, USA, 772–780. doi:10.1145/3610977.3634950
Xu, X., Qiao, L., Cheng, N., & & Zhao, W. (2025). Enhancing self-regulated learning and learning experience in generative AI environments: The critical role of metacognitive support. The British Journal of Education, 56(5), 1842-1863. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13599
Zawacki-Richter, O., Marin, V. I., Bond, M., & Gouverneur, F. (2019). Systematic review of research on artificial intelligence applications in higher education – where are the educators? International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 16(39). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-019-0171-0
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Yaprak Dalat Ward, Merve Nur Kursav
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
