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Main Authors: Rienties, Bart, Domingue, John, Duttaroy, Subby, Herodotou, Christothea, Tessarolo, Felipe, Whitelock, Denise
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.15396
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author Rienties, Bart
Domingue, John
Duttaroy, Subby
Herodotou, Christothea
Tessarolo, Felipe
Whitelock, Denise
author_facet Rienties, Bart
Domingue, John
Duttaroy, Subby
Herodotou, Christothea
Tessarolo, Felipe
Whitelock, Denise
contents With the release of Generative AI systems such as ChatGPT, an increasing interest in using Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been observed across domains, including higher education. While emerging statistics show the popularity of using AI amongst undergraduate students, little is yet known about students' perceptions regarding AI including self-reported benefits and concerns from their actual usage, in particular in distance learning contexts. Using a two-step, mixed-methods approach, we examined the perceptions of ten online and distance learning students from diverse disciplines regarding the design of a hypothetical AI Digital Assistant (AIDA). In the first step, we captured students' perceptions via interviews, while the second step supported the triangulation of data by enabling students to share, compare, and contrast perceptions with those of peers. All participants agreed on the usefulness of such an AI tool while studying and reported benefits from using it for real-time assistance and query resolution, support for academic tasks, personalisation and accessibility, together with emotional and social support. Students' concerns related to the ethical and social implications of implementing AIDA, data privacy and data use, operational challenges, academic integrity and misuse, and the future of education. Implications for the design of AI-tailored systems are also discussed.
format Preprint
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institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle I would love this to be like an assistant, not the teacher: a voice of the customer perspective of what distance learning students want from an Artificial Intelligence Digital Assistant
Rienties, Bart
Domingue, John
Duttaroy, Subby
Herodotou, Christothea
Tessarolo, Felipe
Whitelock, Denise
Computers and Society
Artificial Intelligence
With the release of Generative AI systems such as ChatGPT, an increasing interest in using Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been observed across domains, including higher education. While emerging statistics show the popularity of using AI amongst undergraduate students, little is yet known about students' perceptions regarding AI including self-reported benefits and concerns from their actual usage, in particular in distance learning contexts. Using a two-step, mixed-methods approach, we examined the perceptions of ten online and distance learning students from diverse disciplines regarding the design of a hypothetical AI Digital Assistant (AIDA). In the first step, we captured students' perceptions via interviews, while the second step supported the triangulation of data by enabling students to share, compare, and contrast perceptions with those of peers. All participants agreed on the usefulness of such an AI tool while studying and reported benefits from using it for real-time assistance and query resolution, support for academic tasks, personalisation and accessibility, together with emotional and social support. Students' concerns related to the ethical and social implications of implementing AIDA, data privacy and data use, operational challenges, academic integrity and misuse, and the future of education. Implications for the design of AI-tailored systems are also discussed.
title I would love this to be like an assistant, not the teacher: a voice of the customer perspective of what distance learning students want from an Artificial Intelligence Digital Assistant
topic Computers and Society
Artificial Intelligence
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.15396