The Challenge
With nearly three decades of experience as an educator, Dr. Sharon Malan has identified several key challenges in higher education. One of the most pressing issues is achieving deep learning outcomes, particularly in academic literacy courses.
As the educational landscape becomes increasingly digital, students are often disengaged or overly reliant on surface-level learning, with a diminished emphasis on critical thinking. This trend is concerning, especially as students turn to AI tools like ChatGPT to complete assignments, which can foster a more passive learning approach and potentially deskill students by removing the struggle that traditionally aids deep understanding.
Additionally, Dr. Malan is concerned about the accessibility gap in education. While technology has the potential to democratize learning, students from disadvantaged backgrounds may lack the resources to fully engage with digital tools, further deepening inequalities. Her focus is also on the need for a shift in how academic progress is measured, advocating for process-focused assessments rather than mainly product-based ones.
Furthermore, Dr. Malan emphasizes the need for AI literacy among both educators and students. The rapid adoption of AI tools creates a challenge in ensuring that users are equipped to effectively integrate these technologies without undermining critical thinking and academic integrity. She also highlights the broader issue of students’ lack of preparation for the demands of postgraduate work, suggesting that many struggle with fundamental skills like planning and research, often due to the absence of comprehensive writing support.
Using MindJoy to Foster Deep Learning and Critical Thinking in Academic Literacy Courses at Stellenbosch University
Dr. Sharon Malan leveraged MindJoy to create her own AI tutor, Eli (the Eloquent Literacy Assistant) to address the significant challenges she identified within higher education, particularly in academic literacy and critical thinking.
One of the primary obstacles she faced was helping students develop deep thinking and writing skills in an age where AI tools can encourage surface-level learning. To counteract this, Dr. Malan integrated Eli into her academic literacy course, where it served as both a peer and a tutor - but it didn’t replace either.
By using the AI tutor, she aimed to avoid the pitfalls of over-reliance on technology, which could lead to deskilled students. Instead, she focused on using AI as a tool to enhance learning while preserving the critical thinking process and ensuring that students were still encouraged to engage with peers and herself while learning. In addition, Dr. Malan was mindful of the need for AI literacy, especially given that both lecturers and students were still learning how to engage effectively with AI.
By incorporating Eli, she addressed the challenge of fostering evaluative judgment in students. She encouraged them to critically engage with the AI’s feedback, compare it to the opinions of peers, and decide for themselves which pieces of advice to integrate into their work and which to ignore. Furthermore, Sharon made sure to involve her students in the process of creating prompts, both in an attempt to demystify the process of AI application and in an additional attempt to increase their agency.
This process not only helped students maintain their intellectual agency, but it also allowed students to navigate the growing concern over AI's potential to diminish students' cognitive engagement.
The Impact
Dr. Malan’s integration of Mindjoy and her AI tutor, Eli, has had a significant impact on both her teaching approach and her students' learning experiences. By leveraging MindJoy’s AI-driven support, she has been able to move away from traditional, product-focused assessment methods to a more process-oriented approach. This shift has allowed students to engage deeply with their learning, focusing not just on the end result but rather on continuous improvement throughout the academic writing process.
Students have reported a greater sense of ownership and agency over their work, with Eli providing immediate, personalized feedback that has helped them refine their writing and critical thinking.
The tool has encouraged students to question and evaluate AI-generated suggestions, fostering an environment of reflection and self-directed learning, as well as a healthy level of critical thinking in relation to AI in all spheres of life. This has led to a noticeable change in attitudes toward AI, where students now view it not as a shortcut, but as a tool to deepen understanding and enhance their intellectual development, when used properly.
For Dr. Malan, the use of MindJoy has streamlined her teaching, providing valuable insights into student progress and enabling a more tailored educational experience. It has also reinforced her belief in the importance of embracing AI as a tutoring tool to support, rather than replace, critical thinking and deep learning in the classroom.
