Identifying the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence in higher education: a qualitative study

Abstract

PurposeThis research was developed to identify artificial intelligence (AI) opportunities and challenges in higher education.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative research was developed using the six-step thematic analysis method (Braun and Clark, 2006). Participants in this study were AI PhD students from Tehran University in 2022–2023. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants; a total of 15 AI PhD students, who were experts in this field, were selected and interviews were conducted.FindingsThe authors considered the opportunities that AI creates for higher education in eight secondary subthemes (for faculty members, for students, in the teaching and learning process, for assessment, the development of educational structures, the development of research structures, the development of management structures and the development of academic culture). Correspondingly, The authors identified and categorized the challenges that AI creates for higher education.Research limitations/implicationsConcerning the intended research, several limitations are significant. First, the statistical population was limited, and only people with characteristics such as being PhD students, studying at Tehran University and being experts in AI could be considered the statistical population. Second, caution should be exercised when generalizing the results due to the limited statistical population (PhD students from Tehran University). Third, the problem of accessing some students due to their participation in research grants, academic immigration, etc.Originality/valueThe innovation of the current research is that the authors identified the opportunities and challenges that AI creates for higher education at different levels. The findings of this study also contribute to the enrichment of existing knowledge in the field regarding the effects of AI on the future of higher education, as researchers need more understanding of AI developments in the future of higher education.

AI Chatbots in Higher Education. A state-of-the-art review of an emerging research area

“…Although diverse, several of the studies included in this review are exploratory and experimental (Farazouli et al, 2023;Hallal et al, 2023;Jafari & Keykha, 2023;Khosravi et al, 2023), using expert validation techniques to examine the quality of chatbot responses to authentic examination questions that could be asked to students. We also observe that the majority of studies are either observational nature or based on small data sets, or is self-reported and as such cannot be yet used to identify robust ndings or generalizations for university teachers and their practices.…”

“…We also found the discourse of altering authority re ected in the corpus. Several studies seem to align with this discourse about the integration of AI in education, such as in Dakakni and Safa, (2023) and Jafari and Keykha (2023), where the authors refer to AI learning systems as bene cial for students' convenience and personalised learning without the intervention of teachers. Additionally, Rodway and Schepman (2023) and Mohamed et al (2023), discuss AI in education as enabling teachers to offer individualised and 'customized' experiences to students.…”

Is ChatGPT helpful for graduate students in acquiring knowledge about digital storytelling and reducing their cognitive load? An experiment

“…This nuance is echoed in the works of García-Peñalvo (2023) and Muñoz et al ( 2024), who argue that AI's effectiveness hinges on thoughtful design and implementation, emphasizing the need for AI to complement rather than replicate traditional pedagogical methods. The call for employing qualitative research methodologies, as Jafari & Keykha (2023) suggest, becomes imperative to capture the depth of students' interactions with AI technologies and their resultant learning experiences. Moreover, the potential for both positive and negative long-term effects of AI on education, highlighted by Pellas (2023), stresses the importance of conducting longitudinal studies.…”