I’m about 4 to 5 weeks out from defending my dissertation proposal, and here’s what has been hitting me lately:
This is no longer just about research design. It is about whether the idea actually holds up in the real world.
My study looks at how professionals tackle unfamiliar tasks using AI. There are two groups: AI only (self-directed) and AI + coaching (guided).
Same tools.
Same tasks.
Very different expectations.
When people say AI makes things easier, I do not think that is quite right.
AI makes things possible.
But whether someone can actually use it effectively depends on how they frame the problem, how they iterate, and how they respond when the first attempt does not work. That is where AI-Augmented Exploratory Learning (AAEL) comes in.
One of the tasks in my study involves forecasting. Most professionals will not come into the task knowing Python, regression, or even how to structure the problem. But with AI, they can attempt the task, break it, refine it, and iterate toward a workable solution. That process is not separate from learning. In many ways, that process is the learning.
What I expect is that the AI-only group will struggle more with direction, confidence, and consistency, while the AI + coaching group will produce stronger workflows and better outcomes. The biggest difference may not be technical skill alone. It may be the quality of problem framing and persistence through iteration.
That is the bigger point for me right now.
AI is not replacing expertise. It is exposing the gap between asking for answers and learning how to think through unfamiliar problems.
As I hammer out the final details leading into my proposal defense, I keep coming back to the same idea: the future value of AI in education and professional learning may depend less on the tool itself and more on how we help people learn with it.
Have you seen people struggle or thrive when using AI for something completely new?
Share your thoughts or experiences in the Comments section.
Robert Foreman
Doctoral Student, Educational Technology
Central Michigan University
forem1r@cmich.edu
480-415-0783