This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Instructors and students have significantly different perceptions of how much generative artificial intelligence (AI) is being used in university studies, according to new research from The University of Manchester and Spain's Universidad del Pais Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea. The study found that academic staff perceived students to be using AI tools such as ChatGPT for their studies much more extensively than students themselves reported.
Researchers say the findings highlight a gap in understanding between staff and students, at a time when universities are grappling with how best to respond to the technology. The research is published in the journal Frontiers in Education. The research examined how academic staff and students perceived their own use of generative AI tools, as well as their views of how the technology was being used in higher education.
The study surveyed 45 academic staff members and 86 students in a school covering social science disciplines at a U.K. research-intensive university. The questionnaires were administered between April and June 2024. When asked about students' use of AI for academic purposes, staff gave an average rating of 5.23 on a seven-point scale.
Students' own responses produced an average of 3.11. The researchers caution that students may have underreported their use of AI, but say the difference nevertheless points to the limited information staff may have about how students use these tools in their studies. AI use can be difficult for instructors to identify, particularly when they see only the final version of an assignment rather than the process through which it was produced.
Students may also use AI independently of their interactions with teaching staff, leaving academics with an incomplete picture of their working practices. The research also found that students were generally more positive than staff about the potential benefits of generative AI. Students rated the technology more highly in terms of its likely contribution to academic performance, including helping them learn about their subjects, increasing productivity and reducing workloads.
They also felt more strongly than staff that appropriate conditions and support were in place to help them use AI tools. Among the uses identified in the survey, students reported using generative AI to find answers to questions and assignments, generate written work and translate or improve the grammar of their writing. The researchers suggest that the immediate appeal of AI tools may lie in their ability to produce and improve text.
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