How do university students integrate AI into their learning processes?

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31637/epsir-2024-707

Keywords:

artificial intelligence (AI) in education, AI tools in learning, AI regulation in academia, student perceptions of AI, frequency of AI use, surveys, higher education, student opinions

Abstract

Introduction: Following the irruption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of education, teaching is undergoing a process of change and adaptation. This study arises from the need to understand how university students integrate AI into their learning processes and what perceptions they have about its use and regulation. Methodology: Using an ad-hoc survey with closed-ended, Likert-scale and open-ended questions, information was collected from a casual sample of students. Data were analysed using exploratory statistical techniques. Results: The findings show that more than 94% of the respondents use AI, mainly in generating and translating texts and making presentations. Students value learning about AI to improve their job competitiveness, although opinions on its regulation vary: some prefer not to regulate it, while others suggest limiting its use or promoting non-automatable skills, such as creativity and critical analysis. Conclusions: The need for teacher training is highlighted, as well as the redesign of educational activities to integrate AI. This should be done from an ethical and complementary perspective, taking advantage of the potential of AI on the one hand and avoiding replacing student learning on the other.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Maja Barac, University of Valencia

Maja Barac is an economist with a degree from the University of Valencia (UV) and holds an official Master's in Industrial Economics, for which she was awarded an extraordinary prize. She completed her European doctorate with a thesis on competition and international strategies, receiving the distinction Summa cum laude. Her research career covers topics such as teaching innovation, with a special focus on ICT and gender perspective, household spending inequality, economic policy, and imperfect competition. She holds one research excellence award, has published in high-impact journals, and has actively participated in national and international conferences. With three five-year teaching periods, she has participated in and/or coordinated competitive teaching innovation projects integrating innovative teaching-learning technologies over the past 10 years and has held several academic management roles.

María Isabel López-Rodríguez, University of Valencia

With a degree in Mathematics and a PhD in Economics and Business (cum laude) from the University of Valencia, she has participated in and/or coordinated competitive teaching innovation projects since 2006/2007. Co-author of numerous academic books, she has taught quantitative subjects at the undergraduate, master's, and doctoral levels. She received the Teaching Excellence Award from the Social Council of the University of Valencia and the Department of Education of the Valencian Government in 2013. Her research focuses on education, income and social inequality, as well as Quality Management, with numerous publications and conference presentations in these fields. She has also collaborated in the preparation of the Input-Output Table and Regional Accounting for the Valencian Institute of Statistics.

References

Bond, M., Khosravi, H., De Laat, M., Bergdahl, N., Negrea, V., Oxley, E., Pham, P., Chong, S. W. y Siemens, G. (2023). A meta systematic review of artificial intelligence in higher education: a call for increased ethics, collaboration, and rigour. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 21(4), 4, 1-41. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-023-00436-z DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-023-00436-z

Comisión Europea (2021, 21 de abril). Propuesta de Reglamento del Parlamento europeo y del Consejo por el que se establecen normas armonizadas en materia de inteligencia artificial (Ley de inteligencia artificial) y se modifican determinados actos legislativos de la Unión. Bruselas, 2021/0106 (COD). https://acortar.link/KTqRxj

Comisión Europea (2022). Directrices éticas sobre el uso de la inteligencia artificial (IA) y los datos en la educación y formación para los educadores. Oficina de Publicaciones de la Unión Europea, Dirección General de Educación, Juventud, Deporte y Cultura. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2766/898

Comisión Europea (2024, 12 de julio). AI Office. https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/ai-office

Eager, B. y Brunton, R. (2023). Prompting higher education towards AI-augmented teaching and learning practice. Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, 20(5), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.53761/1.20.5.02 DOI: https://doi.org/10.53761/1.20.5.02

Escotet, M. Á. (2023). The optimistic future of Artificial Intelligence in higher education. Prospects, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-023-09642-z DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-023-09642-z

GfK DAM (2023, 29 de noviembre) El número de usuarios de ChatGPT en España se ha triplicado en tan solo un año. GfK https://www.gfk.com/es/prensa/evolucion-chatgpt-gfkdam

Lacey, M. M. y Smith, D. P. (2023). Teaching and assessment of the future today: higher education and AI. Microbiology Australia, 44(3), 124-126. https://doi.org/10.1071/MA23036 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1071/MA23036

Latorre, A., Del Rincón, D. y Arnal, J. (2003). Bases metodológicas de la investigación educativa. Experiencia.

Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura. (2023). ChatGPT e Inteligencia Artificial en la educación superior. Guía de inicio rápido. https://shre.ink/Dxmn

Pastor, J. (2023, 2 de febrero). Ni Instagram, ni TikTok: ChatGPT ya es la plataforma que más rápido ha crecido en toda la historia de internet. Xataka. https://acortar.link/Mcgrep

Pedro, F., Subosa, M., Rivas, A. y Valverde, P. (2019). Artificial intelligence in education: Challenges and opportunities for sustainable development. Working Papers on Education Policy, 07. https://acortar.link/Tc7k5V

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. (2023). Recomendaciones para la docencia con inteligencias artificiales generativas. https://hdl.handle.net/10016/37989

Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. (2024). Guía para la aplicación de la IA a la acción docente de la UOC. http://hdl.handle.net/10609/149762

Vafadar, M. y Amani, A. M. (2024). Academic Education in the Era of Generative Artificial Intelligence. Journal of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, 110-124. https://doi.org/10.37256/jeee.3120244010 DOI: https://doi.org/10.37256/jeee.3120244010

Vanichvasin, P. (2022). Impact of Chatbots on Student Learning and Satisfaction in the Entrepreneurship Education Programme in Higher Education Context. International Education Studies, 15(6), 15-26. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v15n6p15 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v15n6p15

Walczak, K. y Cellary, W. (2023). Challenges for higher education in the era of widespread access to Generative AI. Economics and Business Review, 9(2), 71-100. https://doi.org/10.18559/ebr.2023.2.743 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18559/ebr.2023.2.743

Wu, T. y Yu, Z. (2024). Bibliometric and Systematic Analysis of Artificial Intelligence Chatbots’ Use for Language Education. Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, 21(06), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.53761/6jmnst54 DOI: https://doi.org/10.53761/6jmnst54

Zawacki-Richter, O., Marín, V.I., Bond, M. y 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 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-019-0171-0

Downloads

Published

2024-09-10

How to Cite

Barac, M., & López-Rodríguez, M. I. (2024). How do university students integrate AI into their learning processes?. European Public & Social Innovation Review, 9, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.31637/epsir-2024-707

Issue

Vol. 9 (2024)

Section

Research and Artificial Intelligence

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Maja Barac (Autor de Correspondencia); María Isabel López-Rodríguez

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under Creative Commons Non Commercial, No Derivatives Attribution 4.0. International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.), that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).

Funding data