Generative AI in Academia: A Double-Edged Sword?

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In this episode toda, we dive into the intriguing findings from the article "Is It Harmful or Helpful? Investigating the Causes and Consequences of Generative AI Use Among University Students" by Abbas, Jam, and Khan. The study focuses on why students turn to generative AI like ChatGPT for academic purposes and the implications of this usage.

The research comprises two distinct studies. The first developed a questionnaire to gauge how frequently students use ChatGPT for their studies. The second study used this questionnaire to explore how factors like workload, time pressure, reward sensitivity, and quality sensitivity influence the use of ChatGPT and its effects on students' propensity to procrastinate, experience memory loss, and perform poorly academically.

Results indicate that students are more likely to use ChatGPT under high workload and time pressure. Interestingly, those highly sensitive to rewards used it less frequently, possibly fearing poor grades if caught. Surprisingly, quality consciousness did not significantly affect ChatGPT usage.

The study also revealed that using ChatGPT likely leads to procrastination and memory loss, ultimately impairing academic performance. The authors suggest that while students may use ChatGPT to cope with high demands, this could backfire, resulting in procrastination, memory issues, and deteriorating grades.

The implications of these findings are significant for universities, policymakers, educators, and students. The authors recommend that institutions support students in efficiently managing their time and workload and encourage students to use ChatGPT as a learning supplement rather than a substitute for their own thinking. They also advise educators to develop new assessment criteria that motivate students to apply their creative abilities and critical thinking.

This podcast is based on the research of Abbas, M., Jam, F. A., & Khan, T. I. (2024). Is it harmful or helpful? Investigating the causes and consequences of generative AI use among university students. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 21(10). It can be found here.

Disclaimer: This podcast is generated by Roger Basler de Roca (contact) by the use of AI. The voices are artificially generated and the discussion is based on public research data. I do not claim any ownership of the presented material as it is for education purpose only.