Views: 2,371
Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 16. Number 3, September 2025 Pp.175- 187
Department of English, Faculty of Letters and Humanities Dhar El Mahraz, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fes, Morocco
Department of English, Faculty of Letters and Humanities Dhar El Mahraz, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fes, Morocco
Artificial intelligence (AI) is capable of performing various tasks and has been applied across multiple fields, including higher education. AI is increasingly used in teaching, learning, and classroom assessment. The primary aim of this study is to compare human assessments and AI-assisted assessments in Moroccan higher education, focusing on summative e-assessments. The primary question of the study is: How does AI-assisted assessment differ from human assessment in evaluating assignments in Moroccan higher education? The study yields data specific to the Moroccan context, filling the gap in this concern; it also provides educators and policymakers with a clear view of the similarities and differences between human and AI-assisted assessment. Writing assignments from EFL classes in two departments at the Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Dhar El Mahraz, were graded by their respective instructors and ChatGPT-4. The results of this study showed that AI grading produced higher scores than human grading, with differences that are both statistically significant in the department of French language studies, while in the department of psychology, the differences between human grading and AI grading are neither statistically significant nor practically large, suggesting that AI grading is comparable to human grading. The study’s findings imply that the grading system for AI might be different and is, therefore, incapable of replacing the human aspect of the grading process in Moroccan higher education, opening the possibility to enhance AI models of assessing EFL and align them with human standards of assessing EFL.
H., & Habiballah, S. (2025). A Comparative Study of Human and AI-Assisted Assessment using ChatGPT: The Case of Moroccan EFL Learners Arab World English Journal, 16(3): 175- 187
Aljuaid, H. (2024). The impact of artificial intelligence tools on academic writing instruction in higher education: A systematic review. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Special Issue on ChatGPT, 26-55. https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/ChatGPT.2
Appiah, M., & Van Tonder, F. (2018). E-assessment in higher education: A review. International Journal of Business Management & Economic Research, 9(6), 1454-1460.
Bai, J. Y., Zawacki-Richter, O., Bozkurt, A., Lee, K., Fanguy, M., Cefa Sari, B., & Marín, V. I. (2022). Automated essay scoring (AES) systems: Opportunities and challenges for open and distance education. In Proceedings of The Tenth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF10). https://doi.org/10.56059/pcf10.8339
Chen, X., Zou, D., Cheng, G., & Xie, H. (2020). Detecting latent topics and trends in educational technologies over four decades using structural topic modeling: A retrospective of all volumes of Computers & Education. Computers & Education, 151, 103855. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103855
Chen, X., Zou, D., Xie, H., Cheng, G., & Liu, C. (2022). Two Decades of Artificial Intelligence in Education: Contributors, Collaborations, Research Topics, Challenges, and Future Directions. Educational Technology & Society, 25 (1), 28-47.
Douali, L., Selmaoui, S., & Bouab, W. (2022). Artificial intelligence in education: Fears and faiths. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 12(7), 650-657. doi: 10.18178/ijiet.2022.12.7.1666
El Messaoudi, M., Lamiae, A., & Daoudi. R. (2025). Student Satisfaction with ChatGPT as a Writing Tool in Moroccan Higher Education: A Mixed Methods Study. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Special Issue on Artificial Intelligence:193-219. https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/AI.11
Gierl, M. J., Latifi, S., Lai, H., Boulais, A. P., & De Champlain, A. (2014). Automated essay scoring and the future of educational assessment in medical education. Medical education, 48(10), 950-962. https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.12517
González-Calatayud, V., Prendes-Espinosa, P., & Roig-Vila, R. (2021). Artificial intelligence for student assessment: A systematic review. Applied sciences, 11(12), 5467. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11125467
Hespress En. (2024, May 31). “Study: 75% of students see AI as an asset for learning”. https://en.hespress.com/85975-study-75-of-students-see-ai-as-an-asset-for-learning.html
Huang, A. Y., Lu, O. H., & Yang, S. J. (2023). Effects of Artificial Intelligence–Personalized Recommendations on Learners’ Learning Engagement, Motivation, and Outcomes in a Flipped Classroom. Computers & Education, 194, 104684. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104684
Holmes, W., & Tuomi, I. (2022). State of the art and practice in AI in education. European journal of education, 57(4), 542-570. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12533
Jen, S. L., & Salam, A. R. (2024). Using Artificial Intelligence for Essay Writing. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Special Issue on ChatGPT, April 2024: 90-99. https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/ChatGPT.5
Khoual, M., Elkaimbillah, Z., Mcharfi, Z., & El Asri, B. (2025). AI in Moroccan education: Evaluating student acceptance using machine learning classification models. Indonesian Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 37(1), 452-462. http://doi.org/10.11591/ijeecs.v37.i1.pp452-462
Lin, CC., Huang, A.Y.Q. & Lu, O.H.T. Artificial intelligence in intelligent tutoring systems toward sustainable education: a systematic review. Smart Learn. Environ. 10, 41 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-023-00260-y
Maulana, A., Idroes, G. M., Kemala, P., Maulydia, N. B., Sasmita, N. R., Tallei, T. E., … & Rusyana, A. (2023). Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Predict Student Performance: A Comparative Machine Learning Approach. Journal of Educational Management and Learning, 1(2), 64-70. https://doi.org/10.60084/jeml.v1i2.132
Maryam, F., Jamaa, O. (2025). An Empirical Assessment of Moroccan EFL Teachers’ Use of Generative AI for EFL Formal Assessment: An Intervention Study. Social Sciences, 14(1), 8-21. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ss.20251401.12
Moukhliss, G., Lahyani, K., & Diab, G. (2024). The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Research and Higher Education in Morocco. Journal of Education and Learning (EduLearn), 18(4), 1292-1300. https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v18i4.21511
Nazaretsky, T., Ariely, M., Cukurova, M., & Alexandron, G. (2022). Teachers’ trust in AI‐powered educational technology and a professional development program to improve it. British Journal of Educational Technology, 53(4), 914-931. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13232
Podsiad, M., & Havard, B. (2020). Faculty acceptance of the peer assessment collaboration evaluation tool: A quantitative study. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68, 1381-1407. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09742-z
Rincon-Flores, E. G., Lopez-Camacho, E., Mena, J., & Olmos, O. (2022). Teaching through Learning Analytics: Predicting Student Learning Profiles in a Physics Course at a Higher Education Institution, 82-89. https://doi.org/10.9781/ijimai.2022.01.005
Sumakul, D. T. Y., Hamied, F. A., & Sukyadi, D. (2022). Artificial intelligence in EFL classrooms: Friend or foe?. LEARN Journal: Language Education and Acquisition Research Network, 15(1), 232-256.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology, Artificial Intelligence and Future of Teaching and Learning: Insights and Recommendations, Washington, DC, 2023.
Uyar, A. C., & Büyükahıska, D. (2025). Artificial intelligence as an automated essay scoring tool: A focus on ChatGPT. International Journal of Assessment Tools in Education, 12(1), 20-32. https://doi.org/10.21449/ijate.1517994
Yavuz, F., Çelik, Ö., & Yavaş Çelik, G. (2025). Utilizing large language models for EFL essay grading: An examination of reliability and validity in rubric‐based assessments. British Journal of Educational Technology, 56(1), 150-166. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13494
Zawacki-Richter, O., Marín, V. I., Bond, M., & Gouverneur, F. (2019). Systematic Review of Research on Artificial Intelligence Applications in Higher Education–Where are the Educators?. International journal of educational technology in higher education, 16(1), 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-019-0171-0
Hajar Ennadir is a second year PhD candidate at the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Dhar El Mahraz, Fez, Morocco, with a focus on education, EFL teaching and learning, AI in education, and Academic writing. She serves as a part time EFL instructor.
ORCid ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8121-4640
Salma Habiballah is a PhD holder in applied linguistics. Her research interests include examining the effectiveness of online education as perceived by both teachers and students, as well as discovering the ways different members of educational boards use to enhance their digital learning experiences. ORCid ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4122-7477