UROP Project

Smart Use or Overuse? How Students’ AI Patterns Shape Learning

AI Use; Critical Thinking; Individual Differences; Reading-Writing Tasks

Research Mentor: Dr. Hongcui (Hannie) Du, she/her/hers
Department, College, Affiliation: Florida Center for Reading Research; Department of Psychology , Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: hd17c@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:

Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: educational psychology, developmental psychology, social science education, education
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5-10, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
Not participating in the roundtable

Project Description

The rapid development and widespread use of generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) tools have brought new opportunities for learning and productivity, but they also raised concerns that overreliance on AI could hinder students’ critical thinking and independent reasoning. This project aims to understand how undergraduate students use generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) to complete academic reading-writing tasks, and how individual differences (such as critical thinking dispositions, prior knowledge, epistemic beliefs) shape their AI use and learning outcomes. Reading-writing tasks are common in undergraduate courses, yet little is known about how generative AI changes the way students approach to such tasks, what strategy they use, and who benefit, or may even be disadvantaged, by AI support.

In this project, we will document patterns of student-AI interaction (e.g., length of interaction, level of prompts), and identify how different types of students engage with AI during academic task completion. During the Fall semester, we will focus on research design and materials development, and will work toward securing IRB approval. In the following semester, we will conduct data collection, analysis, and dissemination.


Research Tasks: As a Research Assistant, you will have the opportunity to participate in multiple phases of the project, including:

Research Design & Material Development: Help create study protocols, design reading–writing tasks, and identifying existing instruments to assess student characteristics and learning outcomes.
IRB Application: Contribute to preparing study materials and documentation for Institutional Review Board approval.
Data Collection: Assist with recruiting participants, setting up study sessions, and supporting data collection (e.g., AI log data, screen recordings, student essays).
Data Analysis: Work with both qualitative and quantitative data, including coding AI prompts, analyzing writing products, and summarizing process data.
Writing & Dissemination: Contribute to drafting research reports, conference proposals, and manuscripts. Opportunities for co-authorship may be available depending on contribution.


Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required Skills:
Strong attention to detail and willingness to learn new methods.
Good written and verbal communication skills.
Interest in educational psychology, learning sciences, or technology in education.
Curiosity about AI, reading/writing, and critical thinking
Preferred:
Familiarity with tools such as Excel, R, SPSS (but not required)
Familiarity with online data collection tools such as REDCap, Qualtrics
Ability to work collaboratively and communicate openly.