Strategy Description
The increasing availability of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools has renewed concerns about the role of human reasoning in student learning. Although AI systems can efficiently generate explanations, uncritical reliance on automated outputs risks diminishing students’ engagement with interpretation and justification. This paper presents an instructional strategy that attempts to re-centers human reasoning by positioning AI as a scaffold rather than a substitute for thinking. The strategy emphasizes structured evaluation of AI-generated content through activities such as step-checking with reflection, error analysis, and dual-method verification. These activities are grounded in research‑based principles that have been shown to effectively support student growth.
About the Author
Rachid Ait Maalem Lahcen is an Associate Lecturer of Mathematics at the University of Central Florida. He earned his Ph.D. in Modeling and Simulation from the University of Central Florida in 2020. He brings more than twenty years of full‑time teaching experience, five years of industry experience, and a record of multiple excellence‑in‑teaching awards to his work in mathematics education and instructional innovation.
Date Created
3-31-2026
Pedagogical Category
Course Content
Rights
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Ait Maalem Lahcen, Rachid, "AI as Scaffold to Re-Center Human Reasoning in Student Learning" (2026). Teaching Online Pedagogical Repository. 36.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/topr/36