An Analysis on the Impact of ChatGPT on Student’s

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxLearning Abilities
Neha Boby-22BDS0434
Jithul Saji Jacob-22BCE3362
Emily L Gilbert-22BCE3332
Saniya Thrisha S-22BCE2208
Srimanvi Konda-22BCE3027

Dr. M. Thenmozhi

Abstract
Technology has given us quite a few innovative discoveries but artificial intelligence is one that
has taken the world by storm. Artificial Intelligence has brought forth so many models, among
which one of the most easily accessible and commonly used one may be ChatGPT. It has such a
vast impact on many people in many spheres of life, especially among students. The purpose of
this study is to investigate the impact of ChatGPT on students’ learning abilities. The study was
conducted on 50 students living in hostels during the Fall Semester 2023-24 at VIT University.
The study can be expanded to include other colleges as well. The research was conducted
through an online questionnaire. Generally, the results showed that heavy reliance on AI dulled
the thinking capabilities of students.

Keywords: ChatGPT, artificial intelligence, learning, students, technology

Introduction
The rise of artificial intelligence has created a new era in education, reshaping the
way students gain and comprehend information. One significant milestone in this
new phenomenon is the release of ChatGPT, an AI tool, which was released to the
public on November 30th, 2022. ChatGPT has quickly gained attention among
students all over the globe, for its easy accessibility and accurate results.

ChatGPT provides curated answers to any question proposed to it, irrespective of

the topic.This allows students to clear doubts they may have, allowing complete
understanding of the subject in hand.It can be used by learners of all stages. If the
explanation is not comprehensible for the student, they may ask the tool to explain
it using simpler terminology. Unfortunately, some students have misused this
virtual tool and plagiarized their assignments. During online assessment, students
simply copy and paste the questions onto the application, to find suitable
answers.Not only is this unethical, in the long run it could be detrimental to the
students education. The user has created a dependency with the AI causing them to
lose their sense of creativity and ability to work hard.

Literature Review
In a fast-paced world that is continuously being defined by rapid technological
advancements, it is important to realize that not even the educational sector has remained
untouched. It has brought eye-opening opportunities as well as a few drawbacks.
Technology in any form comes with its pros and cons. When it comes to AI, information
provided may not always be correct.

A recent study by Bang et. al (2023) proved that the answers provided by ChatGPT only
have an average accuracy rate of 63.41% in ten different reasoning categories. This
clearly highlights the problem of hallucination errors when using ChatGPT.

It cannot be denied that using AI bots like ChatGPT can positively reinforce academics
in cases like comprehending material, creating personalized schedules, etc. This is further
proven by Slepankova (2021), who showed that students frequently used chatbots for
revision of course material and assessments.

Yet another example can be seen in the case of Shorey et. al (2019), that studied the
advantages of having nursing students use an AI chatbot as a virtual patient to improve
their communication skills.

Sallam et. al.(2023) points out that a higher use of ChatGPT may lead to a deterioration
of critical thinking abilities in students as well as in communication skills due to an
increase in virtual reliability.

A review by Lo (2023) talked about how it is important to update the methods of

assessment used when interacting with such technology. It also points out the need for
educators to be made aware of the impact of ChatGPT in the educational environment
and how to respond to it.
 Discussion and Analysis

This illustrates that almost all the students part of the study, nearly 97% of the students
use ChatGPT or similar AI powered Chatbots for educational purposes while a small 3%
do not.

When asked how often students use ChatGPT for learning purposes, a large part
responded positively. It is seen that the largest segment of 45.5% of students use it on a
weekly basis, followed by 22.7% on a daily basis, 15.2% each on a monthly and rarely
basis whereas only 1.4% never use it.
The bar graph represents the accuracy of information provided by the ChatGPT rated in a
scale of 5 by students with 42.4% of them rating it 3, 30.3% rating it 4, 16.7% rating it 2,
6.1% rating it 5, 3% rating it 0 and 1.5% rating it 1.

In the pie chart, the largest segment of 81.8% students agree that ChatGPT is crucial for
optimizing its positive impact on students’ academic and learning experience, even so an
18.2% do not agree.
The pie chart illustrates that 31.8% of students find it easier to focus on traditional
studying after using ChatGPT and 25.8% find it more challenging. Despite this a large
portion of 42.4% are doubtful about the same.

It is seen that a portion of 1.5% of students states that universities encourage using
ChatGPT for educational purposes. However, a portion of 16.7 % of students states that
universities never encourage using ChatGPT for educational purposes, while the rest of
the students state that the universities sometimes or rarely encourage.
From the pie chart, it is evident that 63.6% of students agree that ChatGPT has hindered
their critical thinking and creativity, while 36.4% of students still disagree with that.

Even Though the large segment of 53% of students are neutral about how ChatGPT
compares to traditional learning resources in terms of helping them learn, a small portion
of 9.1% are very satisfied. Yet 7.6% of them raise their dissatisfaction.
The pie chart illustrates that 66.6% of students agree that it’s important to be cautious
about the ethical use of AI like ChatGPT in education. On the other hand, 12.2% of them
disagree with the importance of being cautious about the ethical use of AI like ChatGPT
in education.

Inferences
The impact of ChatGPT on students' learning reveals that most students use ChatGPT or
similar AI-powered chatbots for educational purposes, with almost a half using it weekly
and quarter using it daily. In terms of accuracy, approximately half of them rate ChatGPT
as a 3 on a scale of 5. Many students believe that ChatGPT is crucial for optimizing its
positive impact on academic and learning experiences. However, one-third find it easier
to focus on traditional studying after using ChatGPT, while another one-third find it more
challenging. A small portion of students’ state that universities encourage using ChatGPT
for educational purposes, while some say universities never encourage it. Additionally,
the majority of students agree that ChatGPT has hindered their critical thinking and
creativity, and two-third of them agree on the importance of being cautious about the
ethical use of AI like ChatGPT in education. Overall, students' perspectives on ChatGPT
vary, with many finding it useful but also raising concerns about its impact on traditional
learning and ethical considerations.
Conclusion
ChatGPT's ability to provide comprehensive answers to a myriad of questions has
enhanced understanding and accessibility to knowledge across educational stages.
However, its misuse, particularly in instances of plagiarism during online
assessments, poses ethical and long-term educational challenges. Over-reliance on
AI tools risks undermining students' creativity and the development of vital skills.
Striking a balance between AI's benefits and fostering independent thinking
remains a crucial task for educators and learners alike.
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