Although 62 percent of Swedish students think that utilizing chatbots during exams constitutes cheating, they are generally favorable toward AI tools like ChatGPT in the classroom. It is difficult to determine where cheating crosses the line.
This is demonstrated by a poll conducted by Chalmers University of Technology, the first significant study in Europe to look at students’ perceptions of 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 revolutionise how we learn, and we will be able to come up with amazing things.”
These three responses were among the over 2000 optional comments from the poll that almost 6,000 Swedish students recently completed.
“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
The majority of respondents assert that chatbots and AI language tools increase their productivity as students and enhance their language proficiency in general and academic writing. Virtually all the responding students are familiar with ChatGPT, the majority use the tool, and 35 percent use the chatbot regularly.
Lack of guidance opposed a ban
Many students feel uneasy and lack clear instructions on how to use AI in the learning contexts they are in, despite their positive attitudes toward AI. Simply said, it might be challenging to determine whether cheating is acceptable.
“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 view chatbots as a mentor or teachers that they can consult with questions or seek assistance from, such as with concept clarifications and idea summaries. The prevailing belief is that students’ own critical thinking should always be emphasized over the employment of chatbots.
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
The poll also revealed an important finding: persons with a range of limitations may use AI to their advantage. 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 results of the researchers’ extensive data collection have now been summarized 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 5th April and 5th May, 2023. Students at all universities in Sweden could participate.
Several colleges and student organizations made concerted attempts to spread the survey through social media. 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.
- One in four of the students expressly states that their institution does not have any rules governing the use of AI in education, and more than half of the students are unaware of these rules.
- 62 percent believe that using chatbots during examinations is cheating.
- Students exhibit some skepticism regarding the advancement of AI, with chatbots’ potential effects on education receiving particular attention.
