Generative AI and Metacognition: Using AI to help learners become better learners

This report explores how Generative AI (GenAI) could be used to foster learner metacognition, which is the ability to reflect upon and regulate one’s own thinking. From a learning perspective, metacognition is a powerful tool since research has consistently shown that developing metacognitive learning skills makes learning more effective and efficient while also improving learning outcomes.

Concretely, metacognitive learning skills are composed of, on the one hand, the learner’s self-awareness of how they learn and, on the other hand, strategies and techniques the learner uses to undertake learning activities.

This self-awareness involves planning, monitoring and evaluating one’s learning while the strategies and techniques a learner can use to learn more effectively range from simply being able to summarise content to more complex problem-solving strategies.