AI works best in the classroom with professor guidance, researchers found

A new study from Oregon State University shows that artificial intelligence can boost creativity in student writing if instructors provide guidance on proper use.

The university’s College of Liberal Arts announced the findings last week. After studying two online creative writing courses, researchers found that students who completed their work with the assistance of ChatGPT and instructor guidance performed better than students who didn’t use AI or used it without instructor direction.

“This approach has huge implications, not just for writing classes, but for any discipline where critical or creative thinking matters,” paper co-author Wayne Harrison, a senior instructor in the School of Writing, Literature & Film, said in a press release. “We don’t have to choose between banning AI entirely and throwing up our hands in defeat.”

The researchers found that AI served as an equalizer in creative writing, offering the most improvement for lower-performing students and offering relatively little benefit for high-performing creative writing students.

Researchers also measured student satisfaction and found that the students who used AI without guidance registered the lowest levels of satisfaction.