Summary: A new study reveals student attitudes toward artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education. The majority of the 6,000 students surveyed expressed positive views toward AI tools like ChatGPT, with more than a third using them regularly. They credit these tools for improving academic writing and overall language skills.
However, ambiguity exists around the ethical use of these tools, especially during exams – 62% view this as cheating.
Despite their optimism about AI, students expressed anxiety due to the lack of clear guidance on the responsible use of AI in their learning environments. Yet, an overwhelming majority oppose a ban on AI tools in education. Notably, AI was also highlighted as a valuable aid for students with disabilities.
Key Facts:
- The majority of the surveyed students – over a third – regularly use AI tools like ChatGPT in their education, attributing improvements in academic writing and language skills to these tools.
- While students largely have a positive attitude towards AI in education, 62% of them consider the use of chatbots like ChatGPT during examinations as cheating, indicating ethical concerns.
- Despite some anxiety around the use of AI, most students are against a ban on AI in educational contexts, with many highlighting the importance of these tools in aiding students with disabilities.
Source: Chalmer’s University
Students in Sweden are positive towards AI tools such as ChatGPT in education, but 62 percent believe that using chatbots during exams is cheating. However, where the boundary for cheating lies is highly unclear.
This is shown in a survey from Chalmers University of Technology, the first large-scale European study to investigate students’ attitudes towards artificial intelligence in higher education.
“I am afraid of AI and what it could mean for the future.”
“Don’t worry so much! Keep up with the development and adapt your teaching for the future.”
“ChatGPT and similar tools will revolutionize how we learn, and we will be able to come up with amazing things.”
These are three out of nearly two thousand optional comments from the survey which almost 6,000 students in Sweden recently participated in.
“The students express strong, diverse, and in many cases emotionally charged opinions,” says Hans Malmström, Professor at the Department of Communication and Learning in Science at Chalmers University of Technology. He, together with his colleagues Christian Stöhr and Amy Wanyu Ou, conducted the study.
More than a third use ChatGPT regularly
A majority of the respondents believe that chatbots and AI language tools make them more efficient as students and argue that such tools improve their academic writing and overall language skills.
Virtually all the responding students are familiar with ChatGPT, the majority use the tool, and 35 percent use the chatbot regularly.
Lack guidance – opposed a ban
Despite their positive attitude towards AI, many students feel anxious and lack clear guidance on how to use AI in the learning environments they are in. It is simply difficult to know where the boundary for cheating lies.
“Most students have no idea whether their educational institution has any rules or guidelines for using AI responsibly, and that is of course worrying. At the same time, an overwhelming majority is against a ban on AI in educational contexts,” says Hans Malmström.
No replacement for critical thinking
Many students perceive chatbots as a mentor or teacher that they can ask questions or get help from, for example, with explanations of concepts and summaries of ideas. The dominant attitude is that chatbots should be used as an aid, not replace students’ own critical thinking.
Or as one student put it: “You should be able to do the same things as the AI, but it should help you do it. You should not use a calculator if you don’t know what the plus sign on it does”.
Aid in case of disabilities
Another important aspect that emerged in the survey was that AI serves as an effective aid for people with various disabilities. A student with ADD and dyslexia described how they had spent 20 minutes writing down their answer in the survey and then improved it by inputting the text into ChatGPT: “It’s like being color blind and suddenly being able to see all the beautiful colors”.
Giving students a voice
The researchers have now gathered a wealth of important information and compiled the results in an overview report.
“We hope and believe that the answers from this survey will give students a voice and the results will thus be an important contribution to our collective understanding of AI and learning,” says Christian Stöhr, Associate Professor at the Department of Communication and Learning in Science at Chalmers.
More about the study
“Chatbots and other AI for learning: A survey on use and views among university students in Sweden” was conducted in the following way: The researchers at Chalmers conducted the survey between 5 April and 5 May, 2023. Students at all universities in Sweden could participate. The survey was distributed through social media and targeted efforts from multiple universities and student organisations. In total, the survey was answered by 5,894 students.
Summary of results:
- 95 percent of students are familiar with ChatGPT, while awareness of other chatbots is very low.
- 56 percent are positive about using chatbots in their studies; 35 percent use ChatGTP regularly.
- 60 percent are opposed to a ban on chatbots, and 77 percent are against a ban on other AI tools (such as Grammarly) in education.
- More than half of the students do not know if their institution has guidelines for how AI can be used in education; one in four explicitly says that their institution lack such regulations.
- 62 percent believe that using chatbots during examinations is cheating.
- Students express some concern about AI development, and there is particular concern over the impact of chatbots on future education.
About this AI and education research news
Author: Mia Halleröd Palmgren
Source: Chalmers University of Technology
Contact: Mia Halleröd Palmgren – Chalmers University of Technology
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: The closed-access research “Chatbots and other AI for learning: A survey of use and views among university students in Sweden” by Hans Malmström et al can be viewed on the Chalmers University of Technology website.
Abstract
Chatbots and other AI for learning: A survey of use and views among university students in Sweden
– 5,894 students from across Swedish universities were surveyed about their use of and attitudes towards AI for learning purposes, both about chatbots (such ChatGPT) and other AI language tools (such as Grammarly).
– 1,707 survey respondents offered individual comments, adding thoughts and reflections about the effective and ethical use of AI in higher education.
– Overall, most students are positive towards the use of chatbots and other AI-language tools in education; many claim that AI makes them more effective as learners.
– Almost all the respondents are familiar with ChatGPT (but typically not with other chatbots); more than a third use ChatGPT regularly. Students’ knowledge and usage of other AI-language tools, particularly language translation tools, is widespread.
– More than half of the respondents express concern about the impact of chatbots in future education; concerns about other types of AI-language tools are much less pronounced.
– More than sixty percent believe that the use of chatbots during examination is cheating; this is not the case for other AI-language tools. However, a majority of students is against the prohibition of AI in education settings.
– Most students do not know if their educational institutions have rules or guidelines regarding the responsible use of AI; one in four explicitly says that their institution lack such rules or guidelines.
