Generative Artificial Intelligence: Implications and Considerations for Higher Education Practice

Abstract

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) has emerged as a transformative force in higher education, offering both challenges and opportunities. This paper explores the multifaceted impact of GAI on academic work, with a focus on student life and, in particular, the implications for international students. While GAI, exemplified by models like ChatGPT, has the potential to revolutionize education, concerns about academic integrity have arisen, leading to debates on the use of AI detection tools. This essay highlights the difficulties in reliably detecting AI-generated content, raising concerns about potential false accusations against students. It also discusses biases within AI models, emphasizing the need for fairness and equity in AI-based assessments with a particular emphasis on the disproportionate impact of GAI on international students, who already face biases and discrimination. It also highlights the potential for AI to mitigate some of these challenges by providing language support and accessibility features. Finally, this essay acknowledges the disruptive potential of GAI in higher education and calls for a balanced approach that addresses both the challenges and opportunities it presents by emphasizing the importance of AI literacy and ethical considerations in adopting AI technologies to ensure equitable access and positive outcomes for all students. We offer a coda to Ng et al.’s AI competency framework, mapped to the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy, through a lens of cultural competence with AI as a means of supporting educators to use these tools equitably in their teaching.

Unveiling Insights: A Bibliometric Analysis of Artificial Intelligence in Teaching

“…Integrating AI into teaching represents a rapidly evolving field with a wide array of research and developments [1,2]. As the integration of AI in educational contexts continues to grow [3], conducting a bibliometric study on the topic becomes essential for several reasons [4], including:…”

Students’ Perception of Generative AI Use for Academic Purpose in UK Higher Education

“…Generative artificial intelligence (Gen-AI) has emerged as a transformative force in higher education, with its adoption steadily rising, particularly in the United Kingdom [1]. This trend has sparked a range of perceptions and opinions, ranging from optimism regarding its potential to revolutionise the teaching and learning process to concerns about its implications for academic integrity and the traditional roles of educators [2]. The integration of Gen-AI into higher education settings has ignited debates surrounding issues such as authorship and the impact on academic standards [3].…”

“…MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions, or products referred to in the content. 2 Lim et al define Generative Artificial Intelligence as a technology that uses deep learning models to generate human-like content in response to complex and various prompts [3]. This capability has rendered Gen-AI ubiquitous across various domains, including education, law, policymaking, and content creation [7].…”

“…As Gen-AI continues to evolve at a rapid pace, it holds the promise of driving innovation and enhancing educational outcomes [4]. However, alongside its potential benefits, the widespread adoption of Gen-AI presents a host of challenges that must be addressed through effective policies and measures [2]. Failure to navigate these challenges could undermine the integrity of academic practices and exacerbate existing disparities within higher education [2,8].…”

Learning along the Way

“…AI detectors have been shown to be highly unreliable in terms of detecting AI, with a significant bias against certain linguistic patterns, specifically as relates to second-or third-language English speakers (Farrelly and Baker 2023). Although there is potential for these tools to provide greater equity in education, they can also be used inequitably and harmfully against students and threaten to increase the digital divide (Gwagwa et al 2020) if all students do not have free access to these tools and the critical AI digital skills to participate optimally.…”