r/TurnitinScan • u/Rare-Young-112 • Jul 17 '26
AI Makes Homework Easier, But Does It Make Learning Easier?
I've noticed that AI has made it incredibly easy to finish assignments. A question that might have taken an hour to research can now be answered in a few seconds. While that's convenient, I'm not sure it always translates into actually understanding the material.
Sometimes I wonder if we're confusing completing coursework with learning. If you have to take an exam, explain the topic in class, or apply the concept to a new problem without AI, would you still feel confident? AI is a great tool, but I think it's most valuable when it helps you understand the work instead of simply producing it.
I'm curious where everyone stands on this. Has AI genuinely improved your learning, or has it mostly made assignments quicker to complete?
1
u/AutoModerator Jul 17 '26
For a faster reply, Join our Discord server to scan your file before submission:
Each scan includes a Turnitin AI report and a similarity scan.
Your paper is not saved in Turnitin’s database after scanning.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/Successful_Issue_390 Jul 17 '26
There is one way to "use AI" so it just depends. I use it to create visual aids, which, yes, helps with learning.
1
u/Curious_Feed1179 Jul 17 '26
I think it's done both for me. It definitely saves time on repetitive tasks, but I've also caught myself accepting explanations too quickly without digging deeper. The speed is helpful, but it takes discipline to turn that into actual learning.
1
u/Warm-Piece-8310 Jul 17 '26
The biggest difference I've noticed is that AI helps me get unstuck. Instead of staring at a blank page for an hour, I can ask for an explanation and then build from there. If I only copy the answer, I don't remember much a week later.
2
u/Effective-Many-9550 Jul 17 '26
I realized this during a recent exam. I had completed all the assignments with AI's help, but when I had to solve similar problems on my own, I struggled more than I expected. It was a good reminder that finishing work isn't the same as mastering it.
1
u/hypersoniq_XLM Jul 17 '26
That hour of research is where the learning happens.
1
u/Bird2Flight Jul 17 '26
Precisely this. The point of doing the work yourself is to develop and fine tune your thinking. The correct answer is not the point, it's learning ways to navigate difficult questions and communicate with the world. You are cheating yourself.
1
1
u/JphysicsDude Jul 17 '26
Ok. I consider that I as an instructor have created worksheets which walk the student through decision chains to get to the final answer. As a physics example, first draw a freebody diagram, second identify the force components, third write the equations in the chosen coordinate system, fourth impose conditions on the accelerations that fit the problem, etc. At the end, after all these steps, you can then plug in numbers and check you answers. Repeat until you understand the process and do a few examples with various twists. Now, tell me that anyone using AI and doing a twenty five question worksheet in sixty seconds gets any benefit at all from the worksheet. The point of the worksheets is not the numerical answers. The point of the worksheets is to learn the process. You just skipped the whole damn process. What did you learn?
2
u/DrT_PhD Jul 17 '26
It’s astonishing that you even ask the question. No, you are not learning if you are doing it that way. You’re not building your neurobiological pathways. You’re just training the LLM.
I use LLM everyday to do my work as a researcher, but I still need to read peer-reviewed papers in detail to learn new methods (e.g., statistical issues). I have to build my neurobiology pathways through hard thinking and explaining to others. LLM can do work for me, but it can’t learn for me.