What Do They Think? Undergraduate Perceptions of Student-AI Use

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Abstract
Various manifestations of Artificial Intelligence (AI), including Generative AI (GenAI), are being developed and deployed in higher education. The embrace of AI tools, especially those targeted at students, has created questions surrounding the future of teaching and learning. While there is much excitement and hope about AI’s pedagogical potential, the question of how GenAI reshapes assignment completion is not simply one issue among many, but one that raises a fundamental concern with academic integrity. In such context, scholars and policy makers must consider student perspectives, especially ones regarding the way students complete the everyday assignments that provide structure to university life. The AI age necessitates not only a canvasing of general attitudes, but a granular investigation of student perception of peer use of the technology. This study centers on two broad questions, including R1: Whether students think AI encourages dishonesty and, R2: If they perceive that it gives users an unfair advantage. To gain some insight into these questions, current undergraduate students (N = 214) at two public North American universities responded to our exploratory survey. Our research uncovers strong feelings towards AI technology in higher education, which underscores the importance of including all stakeholders—especially undergraduate students—in the broader conversations about the fate of pedagogical achievement and academic integrity in a rapidly changing educational environment.

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