The Impact Of Differentiated Education Strategies Enhanced By Artificial Intelligence Tools In Developing Technical Skills Among First-Year University Students In The College Of Computer Science And Information At Salahaddin University - Erbil

Abstract

The current research aims to reveal the impact of the differentiated education strategy enhanced with artificial intelligence tools on the development of technical skills among first-year university students in the College of Computer Science and Information at Salahaddin University - Erbil. The researchers followed the experimental method in conducting the study as it is more suitable for reaching the research conclusions. The research sample included first-year students in the Computer Science Department of the College of Computer Science and Information at Salahaddin University - Erbil for the current academic year (2025-2026). The research sample was divided into two groups: an experimental group that studied according to the differentiated education strategy enhanced with artificial intelligence tools, and a control group that studied according to the traditional method. The process of equivalence between the two research groups was conducted in several relevant variables, including intelligence, chronological age (measured in months), academic achievement, and the technical skills development scale. The technical skills scale was constructed and prepared based on previous studies, ensuring its psychometric properties in terms of validity, reliability, and internal consistency, with modifications made to the items to suit the current research sample. The differentiated instruction strategy was applied to first-year university students in the Computer Science Department, College of Computer Science and Information, as the experimental group, and the scale was administered pre- and post-intervention to both groups. And after the research experiment was completed, the data were statistically processed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The researchers concluded in the current study that there are statistically significant differences between the mean scores of students in the pre-test and post-test applications of the experimental sample. The students in the experimental group, who were taught using the differentiated instruction strategy enhanced with artificial intelligence tools, outperformed the students in the control group, who were taught using the traditional method in developing technical skills. In light of this, the researchers reached several recommendations and suggestions, including the adoption by educators of the differentiated instruction strategy supported by smart applications in university teaching, as it takes into account individual differences and stimulates students' technical competencies, and the establishment of training courses for educators to enhance their skills in integrating artificial intelligence technologies into the educational environment.