Analyzing Students’ Use of AI in Higher Education

Authors

SHILPA BALAN, California State University, Los AngelesFollow
Joseph Otto, California State University-Los AngelesFollow
Hsiu Ping Lin, California State University, Los AngelesFollow

Abstract

Abstract Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly integrated into our lives. Given how quickly AI is being embedded in workplaces, integrating AI into higher education has become inevitable (Hodges et al., 2023). Students are found interacting with AI in a variety of ways, including using chatbots. ChatGPT is easily accessible by students and can be used to answer questions about a variety of topics in academics. Students find that ChatGPT is helpful and convenient. They access ChatGPT due to the efficiency with which it can answer questions quickly and accurately. An increasing use of AI seen among students is the adoption of Generative AI as a writing tool (Klutka et al., 2018). Frequent users of AI are found to use the tool to summarize or paraphrase text, followed by answering homework questions. For non-frequent users of AI, the main use is understanding difficult concepts and assistance with writing assignments. In our study, we analyzed students’ use of Generative AI for college related tasks. From our findings, we see that more than 50% of students use AI for some college related tasks. Most students are found to be from Engineering, Business and Social Sciences majors. Many students perceive themselves as confident in using ChatGPT. Most student users using ChatGPT or Generative AI are found to be between 20 to 30 years old. Generative AI is now becoming commonplace. Although the use of AI in higher education is intended to enhance the quality of education and improve student outcomes, it is equally concerning, since college education is focused on preparing students for work. Hence institutions need to establish policies for using Generative AI for coursework. This research will provide the benefits and challenges of AI in higher education. References Hodges, C., Ocak, C. (2023). Integrating Generative AI into Higher Education: Considerations. Educause. Klutka, J., Ackerly, N., Magda, A. (2018). Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: Current Uses and Future Applications. Wiley. pp.1 -31

Paper Number

tpp1274

Recommended Citation

BALAN, SHILPA; Otto, Joseph; and Ping Lin, Hsiu, "Analyzing Students’ Use of AI in Higher Education" (2024). AMCIS 2024 TREOs. 25.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/treos_amcis2024/25