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Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative technology with the potential to revolutionise education. This research aimed to comprehensively explore students’ perspectives on the integration of AI in educational settings, focusing on understanding its role, advantages, challenges, and expectations. The study analysed responses from a sixteen-question survey created through Google Forms administered online to 196 students from diverse academic backgrounds and educational levels enrolled across two Cork third-level institutions.

The demographic distribution of the respondents showed 44.4% aged 18-20 years old, 43.9% aged 21-23 years old, and 11.7% aged 24 and above, with 67.9% female respondents and 32.1% males. No statistical significance was noted between the genders. Notably, 83.1% of participants reported using AI; 65.3% of those utilise AI as a learning/study support, 49.5% for general resourcing, and 51.5% for assignment support, while only a minority (6.6%) admitted to using AI for unethical purposes such as cheating on assessments. Over 65% of respondents perceive AI as positively impacting their educational experience. However, concerns regarding academic integrity persist, with only 48.5% believing academic lecturers can verify AI usage on submissions, and over 30% not viewing AI as a potential form of plagiarism. A worrying statistic emerged with 55% of those who do utilise AI tools viewing them as a form of plagiarism and yet continuing to use them. These findings shed light on the multifaceted relationship between students and AI in academia, underscoring both its potential benefits and ethical implications.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Publisher

Munster Technological University

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