Learning Mode Differences in AI-Assisted and Collaborative Learning

This study investigates how perceived learning support, collaborative learning quality, and AI-assisted learning quality influence student learning effectiveness through learning engagement and whether these mechanisms differ between face-to-face and online modes. A quantitative research design was adopted, and data were collected from university students enrolled in courses delivered through either face-to-face or online modes. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the proposed relationships. The results confirm the established positive relationships between the three instructional antecedents, learning engagement, and learning effectiveness. More importantly, learning engagement mediated all three relationships, and learning mode differentiated the effects of collaborative and AI-assisted learning quality: collaboration was more consequential in face-to-face settings, whereas AI-assisted learning quality was more consequential online. By distinguishing confirmatory baseline relationships from these focal mediated and mode-contingent findings, the study clarifies how instructional mechanisms should be configured across educational settings. Practical implications provide specific design actions for face-to-face, online, and blended courses.