Impact of AI-assisted blended teaching on undergraduate learning in crop breeding

Introduction Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being integrated into higher education, but empirical evidence regarding its effectiveness in crop breeding education remains limited. This study evaluated the effects of AI-assisted blended instruction on undergraduate learning outcomes, cognitive experiences, and learning self-efficacy in a crop breeding course. Methods The study was conducted at Qingdao Agricultural University across two consecutive academic cohorts (2024 and 2025). Students were assigned to either a traditional teaching group (Control Group, CG) or an AI-assisted teaching group (AI group). Both groups received the same curriculum, teaching hours, and instruction from the same instructor. The AI group additionally received AI-supported interactive learning, accounting for approximately 10% of the instructional activities. Examination performance, perceived comprehension pressure, learning self-efficacy, and AI usage frequency were assessed, and effect sizes and regression analyses were used to evaluate the intervention effects. Results The AI group achieved higher mean examination scores than the CG in both cohorts, with scores of 80.8 versus 76.9 in 2024 (Cohen's d = 0.61) and 80.2 versus 75.5 in 2025 (Cohen's d = 0.49); however, these differences did not reach statistical significance, likely reflecting the limited sample size. In contrast, the AI intervention significantly reduced students' perceived comprehension pressure across both cohorts and significantly improved self-efficacy in conducting complex genetic analyses ( P < 0.001). Moreover, regression analyses revealed positive associations between AI usage frequency and final examination scores, with R ² values of 0.413 and 0.761 for the 2024 and 2025 cohorts, respectively. Discussion These findings indicate that AI-assisted blended instruction may provide greater benefits for students' cognitive and psychological learning experiences than for short-term summative examination performance. In crop breeding education, integrating AI-supported interactive learning into conventional instruction may enhance students' learning confidence and reduce perceived comprehension difficulties. Larger-scale, longitudinal studies using validated assessment instruments are warranted to determine the longer-term educational effects of AI-assisted instruction.