The inclusion of general education courses in their career curriculum is an issue with college students, who state their dissatisfaction with having to take said courses. A study done in 2015 revealed that over two-thirds (71.6%) of students agreed with the statement that they would have preferred to take additional courses for their major over general education courses. Are there any benefits to a general education course? What skills would even be lost with the use of AI?
Ever since it was introduced, AI has raised multiple controversies surrounding its use, but none have been more important to education than the cognitive harm that AI could potentially bring. Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, stated in a September interview with Ezra Klein, “Basic math is being forgotten.” Asked if that mattered, he said, “Yeah, I don’t think it does,” adding later, “There are a lot of skills that don’t matter…I didn’t know my ZIP code. I don’t know my telephone number. I forget these things. I can live with it.” He further doubled down on this statement, saying, “we’re going to lose some finer intellectual dexterity, but we’re going to be better systems thinkers.”
Though disliked by students and devalued by a tech CEO, there are actually a number of benefits to foundational learning. Yes, sitting in on a lecture about a math equation has a number of unexpected advantages. A study published in June 2018 found that despite no measurable skill gains in their second year, students who took general education courses in their first year of college experienced steady growth during their fourth year, reaching the highest scores in critical thinking and problem solving. This improvement was also seen in ethical and self-leadership, with students in their fourth year having higher performance than in their second year. Another study done in 2023 found that 46% of all specialized learning program outcomes linked back to skills learned in general education courses. In addition, they found that the learning outcomes of general education programs are linked to over a third of the academic programs.
What would be lost are two of the most important skills in college: critical thinking and problem solving. These two skills are prominently learned in general education courses and are diminished by the use of AI. A study done in January 2025 found that increased usage of AI tools leads to lower critical thinking skills. In this same study, a participant noted that they felt like they were losing their problem-solving skills, with another stating they just follow what AI says. A different study looked over the applications of AI in learning, where they found that despite the AI-assisted students answering 48% more questions correctly, the score they had on a test about understanding the concept was 17% lower.
In the end, general education courses are important, but not in the way you think. The courses that seem unimportant are, in reality, building the foundations for a stronger and more flexible mind, which can be applied to any career. While it may seem like AI is a cheat code through the system, it ultimately harms you because it does not teach you how to think deeply. So despite what it may be capable of, don’t lose your critical thinking or problem-solving skills; they are just as important as a ZIP code or phone number.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.