Students are positive about AI, but unsure about what counts as cheating

Students in Sweden are positive about AI tools like ChatGPT in education, but 62 percent believe using chatbots during exams is cheating. However, where the cheating line lies is highly unclear. This is shown in a survey from Chalmers University of Technology, which is the first large-scale study in Europe to investigate student attitudes towards artificial intelligence in higher education.

“I’m afraid of AI and what it means for the future.”
“Don’t worry too much! Follow progress and adapt your teaching for the future.”
“ChatGPT and similar tools will revolutionize the way we learn, and we will be able to achieve amazing things.”

These are three of nearly 2,000 optional comments from a recent survey of nearly 6,000 students in Sweden.

“Students expressed strong, diverse and in many cases emotionally charged opinions,” said Hans Malmstrom, Professor in the Department of Communication and Science Learning at Chalmers University of Technology. He, along with colleagues Christian Stöhr and Amy Wanyu Ou, carried out the research.

More than a third use ChatGPT regularly

The majority of respondents believe chatbots and AI language tools make them more efficient as students and think the tools improve their academic writing and overall language skills. Almost all students who answered were familiar with ChatGPT, the majority used the tool, and 35 percent used chatbots regularly.

Lack of guidance – defying prohibition

Despite their positive attitude towards AI, many students feel anxious and lack clear guidance on how to use AI in their learning environment. It’s hard to know where the boundaries are for cheating.

“Most students don’t know if their educational institutions have rules or guidelines for using AI responsibly, and that is certainly worrying. At the same time, the majority oppose banning AI in an educational context,” said Hans Malmstrom.

There is no substitute for critical thinking

Many students view chatbots as mentors or teachers they can ask questions or get help with, for example, explaining concepts and summarizing ideas. The dominant attitude is that chatbots should be used as a tool, not a substitute for students’ own critical thinking. Or as one student put it: “You have to be able to do the same things as an AI, but it will help you do it. You shouldn’t use a calculator if you don’t know what the plus sign on it is.”

Help in case of disability

Another important aspect that emerged from the survey is that AI serves as an effective tool for persons with disabilities. One student with ADD and dyslexia described how they spent 20 minutes writing down their answers in a survey and then correcting them by entering the text into ChatGPT: “It was like being color blind and suddenly seeing all the beautiful colors.”

Give students a voice

The researchers have now gathered a great deal of important information and compiled the results in an overview report.

“We hope and believe that the answers from this survey will give students a voice and the results will be an important contribution to our collective understanding of AI and learning,” said Christian Stöhr, Associate Professor in the Department of Science Communication and Learning at Chalmers.

More about studies

“Chatbots and other AI for learning: A survey of usage and views among college students in Sweden” was conducted in the following way: Researchers at Chalmers conducted a survey between April 5 and May 5, 2023. Students at all Swedish universities can participate. Surveys were distributed through social media and targeted efforts from various universities and student organizations. In total, the survey was answered by 5,894 students.

Results summary:

• 95 percent of students are familiar with ChatGPT, while awareness of other chatbots is very low.
• 56 percent positively used chatbots in their study; 35 percent use ChatGTP regularly.
• 60 percent oppose banning chatbots, and 77 percent oppose banning other AI tools (such as Grammarly) in education.
• More than half of students don’t know if their institution has guidelines on how AI can be used in education; one in four explicitly said their agency had no such regulation.
• 62 percent believe that using a chatbot during an exam is cheating.
• Students expressed some concerns about the development of AI, and there were particular concerns about the impact of chatbots on education in the future.

For further information please contact:

Hans MalmstromProfessor, Department of Science Communication and Learning, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, m(email protected), +46 70 996 62 16 (Languages: Swedish, English)

Christian StohrAssociate Professor, Department of Science Communication and Learning, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, (email protected), +46 31 772 24 48 (Languages: Swedish, English, German)

Amy WanyuouPostdoc, Department of Science Communication and Learning, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, (email protected) +46 31 772 50 12 (Language: English, Chinese)