Students positive towards AI, but unsure about what counts as cheating — ScienceDaily

Featured Sponsor

Store	Link	Sample Product
UK Artful Impressions	Premiere Etsy Store

“I’m afraid of AI and what it could mean for the future.“

“Do not worry so much! Keep up with developments and adapt your teaching for the future.“

“ChatGPT and similar tools will revolutionize the way we learn and we will be able to create amazing things.“

These are three of almost 2,000 optional comments from the survey in which almost 6,000 students in Sweden recently participated.

“Students express strong, diverse, and in many cases emotionally charged opinions,” says Hans Malmström, a professor in the Department of Communication and Science Learning at Chalmers University of Technology. He, along with his colleagues Christian Stöhr and Amy Wanyu Ou, conducted the study.

More than a third use ChatGPT regularly

Most respondents believe that chatbots and AI language tools make them more efficient as learners and argue that such tools improve their academic writing and overall language skills. Virtually all of the students who responded are familiar with ChatGPT, with the majority using the tool and 35 percent using the chatbot regularly.

Lack of 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 find themselves in. It’s just hard to know where the cutoff for cheating is.

“Most students have no idea if their educational institution has rules or guidelines for using AI responsibly, and of course that’s concerning. At the same time, a large majority is against banning AI in educational contexts,” says Hans Malmström.

There is no replacement for critical thinking

Many students perceive chatbots as a mentor or teacher from whom they can ask questions or receive help, for example with explanations of concepts and summaries of ideas. The prevailing attitude is that chatbots should be used as an aid, not a replacement for students’ 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 shouldn’t use a calculator if you don’t know what the plus sign does.”

Help in case of disability

Another important aspect that emerged from the survey was that AI serves as an effective aid for people with various disabilities. A student with ADD and dyslexia described how she spent 20 minutes typing her response into the survey and then enhanced it by entering the text into ChatGPT: “It’s like being color blind and suddenly seeing all the beautiful colors.”

Give students a voice

The researchers have now gathered a lot of important information and compiled the results into an overview report.

“We hope and believe that the responses from this survey will give students a voice and therefore the results will be an important contribution to our collective understanding of AI and learning,” says Christian Stöhr, Associate Professor at the Department of Communication and Science learning. in Chalmers.

More about the study

“Chatbots and other AI for learning: A survey on usage and opinions among university students in Sweden” was conducted as follows: Chalmers researchers conducted the survey between April 5 and May 5, 2023. The students from all universities in Sweden were able to participate. The survey was distributed via social media and focused on the efforts of various universities and student organizations. In total, the survey was answered by 5,894 students.

Summary of Results:

• 95 percent of students are familiar with ChatGPT, while knowledge of other chatbots is very low.
• 56 percent are positive about the use of chatbots in their studies; 35 percent use ChatGTP regularly.
• 60% oppose banning chatbots and 77% are against banning other AI tools (like Grammarly) in education.
• More than half of students don’t know if their institution has guidelines on how AI can be used in education; one in four explicitly say that their institution lacks such regulations.
• 62 percent believe that using chatbots during exams is cheating.
• Students express some concern about the development of AI, and there is particular concern about the impact of chatbots on future education.