Developing Students' Higher-Order Thinking Skills With Generative AI Insights and Strategies From a Case Study

Traditional educational settings often struggle to effectively support the development of higher-order thinking skills (HOTS). Collaborative argumentation has proven to foster these skills, and Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) may further enhance these tasks. This case study investigates students' perceptions of GenAI-assisted collaborative argumentation in a graduate Digital Education course. Thirty-six students engaged in ChatGPT-4-supported collaborative argumentation via Discord, followed by interviews. Through inductive and deductive thematic analysis, findings revealed that GenAI significantly aids in deconstructing complex problems, evaluating arguments, and generating creative solutions while enhancing self-regulation and reflection. Challenges like over-reliance on AI, cognitive overload, and biases within AI were identified. This highlights the need for instructional strategies that balance GenAI use with the cultivation of critical, creative, and self-regulated thinking skills, ensuring students stay adept in an AI-driven landscape.