Using artificial intelligence as a mindtool to foster critical thinking in biology education

Artificial intelligence tools are increasingly accessible and have the potential to offer learners innovative ways to promote deep learning and engagement with academic content. These tools can be used to support diverse learners, improve academic success, and prepare students for future careers and life challenges. Used as a mindtool, which is a type of problem-solving and reasoning companion, artificial intelligence technologies can facilitate knowledge construction and deepen students' conceptual understanding of biological processes in biology education. Specifically, it shifts students from passive information retrieval to active learning, encouraging them to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize academic material. These core higher-order thinking skills require human reasoning and are not replaceable by technology. While educators are increasingly embracing the use of artificial intelligence in their classrooms, there is limited guidance on how it can be used to foster critical thinking in biology education, an essential skill for objective analysis, independent reasoning, and creative problem-solving. This paper presents several strategies for how artificial intelligence tools may be used to promote higher-order critical thinking skills in the biology classroom using what-if modeling, concept mapping, and error analysis to guide biology educators as they incorporate these tools into their curricula.