WUR at the Age of GenAI: Mapping Teachers’ GenAI Literacy, Use, and Perception in Education
Project introduction and background information
GenAI is becoming an essential part of education, offering benefits like personalized learning experiences, grading, and automation of administrative tasks. However, concerns remain regarding bias, misinformation, plagiarism, and over-reliance on AI. Understanding teachers' perspectives is crucial for shaping AI-related policies in universities.
Objective and expected outcomes
The objective of our study was to assess teachers’ AI literacy and knowledge, and to map their self-reported usage of GenAI in teaching, their perceptions, concerns, and trust in AI-based tools and to identify challenges and opportunities for institutional AI integration. Ultimately, the findings could help in providing recommendations for AI literacy training and policy development.
Results and learnings
Teachers rated themselves highly in ethical AI awareness but varied in AI knowledge and application in education. Male teachers perceived themselves as more proficient in the use of AI in education than females. AI literacy levels varied by discipline, with Plant Sciences teachers scoring themselves higher in behavioral and cognitive AI literacy than other science groups. Teachers showed interest in AI but reported limited use in teaching. Transparency and trust were key concerns teachers had. Teachers using GenAI were generally open about their use, but many were uncertain about institutional policies and (needed) support. Most teachers found AI useful but remained skeptical about trusting AI-generated content.
Recommendations
A main recommendation resulting from our findings is to enhance AI literacy programs to improve teachers’ confidence and ability to apply AI in education. Address transparency and trust issues by improving institutional policies and AI training. Encourage AI adoption for teaching through clear guidelines and practical training. Provide discipline-specific AI support, especially for teachers in fields with lower AI literacy scores. Finally, it can help to develop institutional policies that support ethical AI integration in education.
More information about the project and detailed results are available in the PPT slides.