Keywords
classroom discussion
collaborative learning
classroom interaction
Abstract
As generative AI becomes increasingly common in university classrooms, traditional teaching centred on knowledge delivery is gradually losing its dominant role. Although AI improves learning efficiency, it also shortens the processes of discussion, negotiation, and collaborative thinking that are essential to classroom learning. In some cases, classroom discussion has become more superficial, while collaborative learning has turned into fragmented task completion.
This paper discusses the importance of classroom discussion and collaborative learning in the age of generative AI. It argues that AI can support knowledge acquisition and content generation, but it cannot replace real classroom interaction, including immediate feedback, exchange of ideas, and sustained communication among students and teachers. The paper further suggests that future classrooms should shift from knowledge delivery towards interaction organisation, with greater emphasis on authentic discussion, collaboration, and student participation. It concludes that the irreplaceable value of university classrooms in the AI era lies not in knowledge transmission itself, but in the interactive process of communication, negotiation, and collaborative meaning-making.
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