ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AS A LEARNING ASSISTANT: CONTRADICTIONS IN ASSESSING LEARNING OUTCOMES OF PEDAGOGICAL EDUCATION STUDENTS

Abstract

The article analyzes the peculiarities of using artificial intelligence (AI) in the educational process of higher education institutions, focusing on the training of students of a pedagogical faculty. The relevance of the study is determined by the active integration of AI-based services into students’ learning activities and the growing complexity of ensuring objective assessment of learning outcomes under these conditions. The purpose of the study is to identify the proportion of students who use artificial intelligence while completing practical and independent assignments (including hidden use) and to analyze their attitudes toward the ethical aspects and potential consequences of such use. The research methodology combines theoretical analysis of scientific sources, analysis of institutional policies regulating the use of artificial intelligence, pedagogical observation, and a survey of students. The empirical basis of the study includes the analysis of practical, independent, and integrated assignments within educational components of the A2 “Preschool Education” program, as well as the results of a survey involving students of different levels of higher education. The findings reveal a contradiction between the declared potential of artificial intelligence as a learning assistant and the actual practices of its use by students as a tool for simplifying task completion and substituting their own analytical activity. It is established that in cases where the use of AI is permitted, assessment often shifts from evaluating students’ knowledge and competencies to assessing the quality of their prompts and interactions with AI tools. At the same time, in assignments where AI use is not allowed, instances of hidden application of AI services are identified. The study substantiates the need to reconsider approaches to task design and assessment criteria, as well as to develop students’ skills of responsible, conscious, and ethically grounded use of artificial intelligence in the educational process.