The Impact of AI on Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving on Student Skills in Higher Education: An Empirical Study

This study examines how students are able to think critically and solve problems when Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are used in higher education. Using a kind of experimental research design, data were collected from sixteen undergraduate students with one group using AI-assisted learning and the other using traditional learning methods. In order to evaluate the improvements in cognitive performances with pre-test and post-test assessments, semi-structured interviews were conducted. The results indicated that the group using AI tools showed better improvement compared to the group that did not use an AI tool. For critical thinking, they had a delta of 1.41 meaning they did better at that score than the non-AI. The t-test score for the team was 4.12 and p-value < .01. Likewise, the delta for problem solving was 2.73, t-test=5.02 showing a p-value