{"version":1,"type":"story","url":"https://digestai.news/story/universities-should-assess-learning-with-and-without-ai-assistance","json":"https://digestai.news/story/universities-should-assess-learning-with-and-without-ai-assistance.json","markdown":"https://digestai.news/story/universities-should-assess-learning-with-and-without-ai-assistance.md","slug":"universities-should-assess-learning-with-and-without-ai-assistance","headline":"Universities should assess learning with and without AI assistance","summary":"Marc Schmitt argues that the danger of artificial intelligence lies in passive use and that universities need to teach students to argue with AI models and evaluate their performance without the tool. He points to a randomized trial of secondary‑school mathematics students where unrestricted chatbot access raised practice scores but lowered performance on a later exam taken without the bot.\n\nThe study, cited from Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA, shows that measuring only the assisted session would label the chatbot as a success, while the post‑access exam reveals a decline in independent ability. Schmitt recommends that institutions adopt dual assessments—both during AI‑assisted work and after the AI is removed—to capture true learning outcomes.","keyPoints":["Universities need to measure student learning both with AI assistance and after the AI is removed","A randomized trial found chatbot access improved practice scores but reduced exam performance without the bot","Marc Schmitt warns that passive AI use is risky and urges teaching students to argue with AI models"],"whyItMatters":"Understanding how AI tools affect learning retention is essential for educators and policymakers to ensure students develop skills that persist beyond AI assistance.","category":{"slug":"policy","name":"Policy & Regulation","url":"https://digestai.news/category/policy"},"entities":{"companies":[],"models":[],"people":["Marc Schmitt","H. Bastani"]},"firstPublishedAt":"2026-11-03T00:00:00Z","updatedAt":"2026-11-03T00:00:00Z","sourceCount":1,"hasPrimarySource":true,"sources":[{"outlet":"Nature Machine Learning","title":"Universities must measure learning, both with and without AI assistance","url":"https://nature.com/articles/d41586-026-03559-1","publishedAt":"2026-11-03T00:00:00Z","type":"primary","primary":true,"lead":true}],"sourceNotes":null,"discussions":[],"thread":null,"cite":{"text":"Digest AI, \"Universities should assess learning with and without AI assistance\", 3 November 2026, https://digestai.news/story/universities-should-assess-learning-with-and-without-ai-assistance","publisher":"Digest AI","title":"Universities should assess learning with and without AI assistance","datePublished":"2026-11-03T00:00:00Z","url":"https://digestai.news/story/universities-should-assess-learning-with-and-without-ai-assistance"},"generatedBy":"Written by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources; the sources are the record.","license":"Headlines, digests and key points are written by Digest AI and may be quoted with a link to the story page. Linked articles belong to their publishers. Terms: https://digestai.news/terms#reuse"}