WUR at the Age of GenAI: Mapping Students’ GenAI Literacy, Use, and Perception in Education

Project introduction and background information

Generative AI is becoming an integral part of education, offering benefits such as personalized learning, automated administrative tasks, and efficiency in content creation. However, concerns about bias, misinformation, plagiarism, and over-reliance on AI have raised ethical and practical challenges. Understanding students' perceptions is essential for guiding university policies on AI use in education and ensuring that AI tools are integrated effectively and responsibly.

Objective and expected outcomes

This study aims to assess students' AI literacy levels, explore their use of GenAI tools, and analyze their perceptions and concerns regarding the ethical and practical implications of AI in education. By identifying both challenges and opportunities, the study provides insights that will contribute to developing institutional policies, AI training programs, and strategies for responsible AI use in learning environments.

Results and learnings

The findings indicate that while students rate themselves relatively high in ethical AI awareness, their actual knowledge and application of AI in education vary significantly. Male students generally perceive themselves as more proficient in the use of AI in education than female students, and AI literacy levels also differ across disciplines, with students in Plant Sciences scoring themselves higher than other science groups in AI-related knowledge. Despite students’ motivation to use AI, actual adoption for education purposes remains low, largely due to concerns regarding trust, reliability, and ethical risks. Transparency in AI tools and clearer institutional guidelines could influence students’ willingness to integrate AI into their learning processes.

Recommendations

To address these findings, enhancing AI literacy through targeted training programs can improve students’ confidence in using AI tools. Addressing concerns related to trust and transparency by establishing clearer guidelines on AI use in education is essential. Encouraging the structured integration of AI into educational settings can support students in making informed and responsible use of AI technologies. Additionally, providing extra support for students with lower AI literacy levels and developing institutional policies for ethical AI implementation will contribute to a more effective and balanced approach to AI in higher education.

More information about the project and detailed results are available in the PPT slides.