A Survey of Current Perceptions and Actual Use By Students and Faculty of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education

Author: Cameron    Hasselbaum

Major: Economics

Graduation Year: 2024

Thesis Advisor: James Brophy

Description of Publication: Generative AI as an emerging new technology may have large-scale impacts on how business is conducted and how schools teach students. OpenAI released ChatGPT to the public in November of 2022. Two similar surveys were conducted one year after ChatGPT was released in December 2023 to measure the perceptions of generative AI and changes in behavior in the academic space among students and faculty at the University of Maine. The survey findings were that student respondents have been quicker to adopt and find utility in the new technology. Still, it has yet to be readily adopted for use as widely as predicted by students and faculty. Moderate, but not extreme, changes to behavior among students in particular were found. Behavior and feelings among students and faculty shared some correlation with certain demographic factors, such as gender and area of study. That said, generative AI has yet to cause significant changes in behavior among students and faculty surveyed in the college education realm, but future studies should follow attitude and behavior changes as time progresses.

Location of Publication:

URL to Thesis: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors/877/