Abstract:

Current literature on Artificial Intelligence in higher education recognizes that it presents both significant opportunities and challenges. Only a handful of studies have tackled aspects of faculty and student perceptions of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). Even fewer research studies have explored its use in higher education despite the lingering uncertainty with respect to guidelines. There is a lot to be excited about in terms of GenAI in higher education settings and for faculty to best deploy these tools it will be necessary to create rules and norms. For that, clarity and trust for both teachers and students are important to foster effective learning environments. Because this is still an emerging field, there are numerous gaps in the literature that this study seeks to fill; one such gap is to better understand how students perceive ways that faculty use GenAI.

Our research centers on the student perspectives of GenAI in higher education settings, specifically their perception of faculty using AI in lesson/course design, scoring student’s work, and providing feedback or communicating with students. In this study we surveyed current undergraduate students (N=200) in the United States. The survey included questions about the students’ comfort level and familiarity with GenAI. Finally, questions sought to evaluate what students perceive as acceptable use of GenAI by faculty.

Results show that students are not eager to see their professors embrace GenAI for all activities equally. For instance, students do not mind when professors use GenAI to assist in grading multiple choice exams, but they are overwhelmingly uncomfortable with faculty grading essays or short assignments, such as reflections or discussion posts. Interestingly, when students were asked their perceptions of AI in academic settings, the majority (70%) responded that it encourages academic dishonesty. In contrast, students perceive higher levels of interaction with faculty as indicative of high-quality education. Students declared overwhelmingly that they value “individual feedback from expert faculty” as “important to help” them grow as learners (86%). Similarly, the mentoring relationship between faculty and students was highly valued at 85% positive. The strongest views were with respect to faculty-student communications, with only 11% of the students feeling comfortable with the use of GenAI for communication purposes.

Overall, our results suggest that there is a gap in how students and faculty understand the use of GenAI within higher education. We discuss how educators must take into consideration multiple perspectives when applying GenAI tools in their engagement with students. Ultimately, these results emphasize the need to raise awareness among educators about how to best align all stakeholders when implementing GenAI in their teaching practices.

Keywords:

Student Perspectives, Higher Education, Generative AI.