By Caitlin Corll
The rising prevalence of artificial intelligence, AI, is changing how college students do their homework, sparking discussions at William Peace University.
Campus Technology, a leading publication on the changing tech landscape in higher education, reports that 86% of college students use artificial intelligence in their studies.
With the rise of this technology has come many questions, such as how students can use it to help with their homework. Campus Technology surveyed more than 3,000 students to find how students currently use AI in their studies.
Their findings show the most common uses were using AI to search for information, check grammar, summarize documents, paraphrase documents, and create first drafts.
WPU students, in line with these findings, have also begun to explore how AI can aid their studies.
“I use it for research purposes,” said Ababacar Thiam, senior exercise and sports science student. “Or sometimes, if I am reading an article and I need to simplify that specific article, I sometimes copy and paste a particular sentence or whatever, and it simply simplifies it for me.”
Given the novelty of the technology, some worry it will lead to an increase in cheating. WPU students shared their thoughts on balancing the benefits of AI while maintaining academic integrity.
“I think for finding sources, it could be helpful, but you don’t want to plagiarize or anything like that,” said Harrison Glover, freshman exercise and sports science student.
Thiam agrees with this sentiment and also thinks it’s important to weigh the potential beneficial and harmful uses of the technology.
“I think it can be a great tool depending on how you use it,” said Thiam. “But there is also a bad side to learn, too. Sometimes people can use it for other reasons that I’m not going to get into. But I think the pros outweigh the cons.”
Knowing the majority of students use AI to complement their studies, many professors are proposing guidelines regarding its use to complete homework. This allows students to explore its use while maintaining academic integrity.
“Our professor… was talking about how people were using it for bad reasons,” said Thiam. “And he was telling us, giving people suggestions on how to actually use it…He was just telling people to be careful and to not let AI do all the work.”
The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, AACSB, says professors directing students in using AI like this is both important and beneficial to their learning.
“On the one hand, they are developing AI-ready students; on the other, they are shaping the future use of AI technologies,” said AACSB authors Anthony Hié and Claire Thouray. “Faculty might not be able to stop the AI trend from growing, but in this role, they can direct its growth by preparing students to use it as effectively and ethically as possible.”
Campus Technology agrees with this sentiment, citing University of Hong Kong researcher Alessandro Di Lullo.
(Illustrated circuits imitating the shape of a human brain – a visual representation of how technology complements human cognition and learning. Image by Steve Johnson from Unsplash.)
“The rise in AI usage forces institutions to see AI as core infrastructure rather than a tool. Universities need to consider how to effectively boost AI literacy to equip both students and academics with the skills to succeed in an AI-driven world.”
AI has entered the higher education landscape, making its mark at WPU. Professors and students now must work together to respond to it with both a consideration for academic integrity and the benefits it brings to students’ education.