A Deep Dive into the Teacher Vs. AI Debate: The Case of Grading Student Work
As we look back at the most read stories of 2025 on eSchool News, story #8 stands out as it delves into the ongoing debate about teachers versus artificial intelligence (AI) in the context of education. This story focuses on one of the pressing topics of our time: the role of AI in grading student work. The debate is not just about the efficiency and effectiveness of AI, but also about how it shapes the learning experience and development of students.
The AI Revolution in Classrooms
AI promises many things for the education sector. It can grade papers in seconds, provide personalized feedback, and even help with brainstorming. However, the real question is whether we should allow AI to play such a significant role in our classrooms. Should we allow it to grade student work? Though it can quantify, benchmark, and provide quick results, AI lacks the human element that is essential in education. It cannot appreciate the growth, effort, and development of individual students in the same way a teacher can.
Writing for Robots Vs. Humans
The use of AI in grading written work changes the audience for students from human to robot. This is problematic as it teaches students that their writing is only valued for its ability to meet grading criteria, rather than for its creativity, originality, or the effort put into it. The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) emphasizes that writing is a human act, not a mechanical one. Automating it threatens its value and risks reducing writing to a means to secure grades.
AI: A Tool, Not a Judge
AI can be a useful tool in the classroom, but we should be wary of giving it too much authority in the learning process. It can support brainstorming, offer suggestions for improvement, and even provide initial feedback on student work. But the final evaluation, the one that truly matters, should be left to human teachers who can understand the nuances of student work and provide empathetic, meaningful feedback.
The Consequences of Bot Assessment
If we replace teachers with AI in grading, we risk dehumanizing the learning process and reducing our students’ work to mere data. The unique stories, arguments, and research that our students bring to the table cannot be fully appreciated by AI. It can’t understand the emotion behind a poem written for sick grandparents or the passion in a research topic that a student deeply cares about. These are human aspects that only a human teacher can truly understand and appreciate.
AI in Education: Proceed with Caution
While some educators have found AI tools useful in providing feedback on student work, it’s essential to remember that these tools should aid the learning process, not dictate it. AI can help improve learning when used intentionally for in-process feedback, but the final word should always come from a human. If we leave grading to AI, we risk teaching our students that their voices and stories matter only to a machine. Therefore, the introduction of AI in education should be done cautiously, ensuring it supports the writing process, not defines it.
As we navigate the future of education, let’s not confuse efficiency with empathy, or algorithms with understanding. AI can make us better teachers and help our students thrive when used correctly. But at the end of the day, the human element in education is irreplaceable.
Article Source: Here
About the Authors
Dennis Magliozzi and Kristina Peterson are English teachers at the University of New Hampshire Writers Academy. Kristina holds a master’s degree in teaching and has over a decade of experience supervising teachers. Dennis has an MFA in poetry and a PhD from the University of New Hampshire. Their work on the impact of generative AI in the classroom has been highlighted in Heinemann’s blog and in their forthcoming book, AI in the Writing Workshop: Finding the Write Balance.
