Search Results: CognitiveOffloading

A Harvard study shows AI tutoring doubled learning gains compared to expert-led active learning in physics, with median improvements of 0.73–1.3 standard deviations. Yet uncontrolled AI use risks eroding critical thinking through cognitive offloading, forcing a reckoning with whether teaching is fundamentally algorithmic. As models advance exponentially, educators must decide if efficiency will redefine or diminish learning.

A seasoned developer warns that using AI assistants as coding crutches erodes the deep conceptual understanding vital for true mastery. While LLMs accelerate output, uncritical dependence creates fragile mental models and hidden knowledge gaps with long-term consequences.