Exploring generative AI literacy in higher education: student adoption, interaction, evaluation and ethical perceptions
| Date | 05 July 2024 |
| Pages | 132-148 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-10-2023-0160 |
| Published date | 05 July 2024 |
| Author | Kong Chen,April C. Tallant,Ian Selig |
Exploring generative AI literacy
in higher education: student
adoption, interaction, evaluation
and ethical perceptions
Kong Chen,April C. Tallant and Ian Selig
Coulter Faculty Commons, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee,
North Carolina, USA
Abstract
Purpose –Current knowledgeand research on students’utilization and interactionwith generative artificial
intelligence (AI)tools in their academic work is limited. This study aims to investigatestudents’engagement
with these tools.
Design/methodology/approach –This research used survey-basedresearch to investigate generative
AI literacy (utilization, interaction, evaluation of output and ethics) among students enrolled in a four-year
public universityin the southeastern USA. This article focuseson the respondents who have used generative
AI (218; 47.2%).
Findings –Most respondentsused generative AI to generate ideas for papers, projectsor assignments, and
they also used AI to assist with their original ideas. Despitetheir use of AI assistance, most students were
critical of generative AI output,and this mindset was reflected in their reported interactions with ChatGPT.
Respondents expressed a need for explicit guidance from course syllabi and university policies regarding
generativeAI’s ethical and appropriate use.
Originality/value –Literature related to generative AI use in higher education specific to ChatGPT is
predominantly from educators’viewpoints. This study provides empirical evidence about how university
studentsreport using generative AI in the context of generative AI literacy.
Keywords Generative artificial intelligence, AI in higher education, AI literacy,
Educational technologies, AI learning and teaching, Student interaction with AI,
Using AI in academic assignments
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The rapid emergence of a free, open-access generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot
(ChatGPT) in late 2022 rattled the education landscape,inciting panic and curiosity among
many educators across primary,secondary and tertiary education. Generative AI processes
information and finds patterns and relationships within large data sets to produce content
and knowledge (as opposed to simply retrieving information) (Bailey, 2023). AI text
generation tools use large languagemodeling (Giannini, 2023) to understand textual input to
produce human-like responses (Lim et al.,2023). Ask ChatGPT questions about any given
discipline of study, and it produces coherent answers, even if their accuracyis questionable.
Prompt ChatGPTto write an essay on any topic,and it produces a complete essayin a matter
of seconds, albeit with debatable accuracy. In the wake of what seems like an on-demand
answer key being at the fingertips of students, educator and administrator speculations
ILS
126,1/2
132
Received31 October 2023
Revised8 March 2024
16May 2024
Accepted21 May 2024
Informationand Learning
Sciences
Vol.126 No. 1/2, 2025
pp. 132-148
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2398-5348
DOI 10.1108/ILS-10-2023-0160
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/2398-5348.htm
about how students were using or would use ChatGPT surfaced almost as quickly as the
generativeAI tool became publiclyavailable.
King (2017) states that higher education prepares students to be citizens and workers.
Furthermore,because the number onetrend employers expect totransform their organization
over the next five years is “[...] increased adoption of new and frontier technologies and
broadeningdigital access [...]”(The Future of Jobs Report,2023, p. 5), namely big data, cloud
computing and AI, teaching students about AI and how to use AI is critical. Preparing the
workforceand citizens to understand AI technology and its socialimplications is crucial asit
becomesmore integrated into our economy(King, 2017).
Education institutions must keep pace with the evolving technology needs of industries
and prepare society’s citizens to thrive in the workplace. Our study examines four core
components of AI literacy, a skill that impacts daily life for all. Through an online survey,
we uncovered, descriptiveinformation from students about their use, interaction,evaluation
and ethical perspectives related to generative AI. Furthermore, students provided
information about how they would like to learn more about AI. This insightcan serve as a
blueprint for educators as we navigate the best way to approach AI literacy instruction in
higher education. To the authors’knowledge, this is the first study to examine university
students’generativeAI literacy related to use, interaction, evaluation and ethical concerns.
Literature review
Artificial intelligencehas existed since the 1950s (Long and Magerko, 2020) and has multiple
definitions (Sheikh et al.,2023). Wang et al. (2023,p.2)define AI as “a new technological
science for simulating, extending,and expanding human intelligence.”Sheikh et al. (2023,p.
25) define AI as “systems that displayintelligent behaviour by analysing their environment
and taking actions –with some degree of autonomy –to achieve specific goals.”Despite
variable definitions, AI is here to stay and is on track to disrupt and transform most
businesses, industriesand education.
Artificial intelligence: a transformative force in education
King (2017) writes that the AI era, using big data and personalization, ushers in cognitive
computing and creates opportunities for education to augment learning and support
services, administrative efficacy, cost reduction and prepare graduates to work in an AI-
driven economy. The US Department of Education (2023) recognizes the duality of
supporting learning about AI and AI supporting learning. Facilitating students’learning
about AI is imperative with this rapidlyevolving technology.
The consensus among scholars like Sabzalieva and Valentini (2023) and Rudolph et al.
(2023) is clear: generative AI tools have the potentialto revolutionize teaching and learning.
Using AI to support learning can take many forms, from tutoring students and adapting
instruction for diverse learners to supporting effective student teamwork. The US
Department of Education (2023) emphasizes using AI as a tool to benefit learners who have
experienced unfavorable circumstances for learning to benefit their future lives. For
students, AI can assist learning by critiquing their writing, explaining concepts and
supporting customized learning (Bailey, 2023). For example, AI tools have been used for
personalized tutoring (King, 2017) and can be used as writing and editing tools for non-
native English speakers(Meyer et al., 2023).
The US Department of Education (2023) assertsthat education should keep a humanistic
view of teaching and “always center educators (ACE).”Educators must focus on their
students, and AI is a tool that can enhance this focusby supporting teachers as they design,
prepare and practice teaching. AI tools such as ChatGPT can expedite processes for
Generative AI
literacy
133
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