Are we fully aware of the impact AI is having on students?
As part of some recent work, I developed four student personas to represent the mixed perspectives students are having in relation to using, or not using, artificial intelligence (AI) in their assignments (These are based on adult learners but likely useful to consider for all students who complete work independently).
As you review the personas, I would encourage you to think about the following:
- Do the challenges raised in each student persona seem familiar?
- Can you empathise with the student in each persona?
- Which persona do you think is most prominent in your classes?
- Have you, or your setting, put any measures in place to support the concerns raised in each student persona?
The intention of this post is to encourage educators to think about the use of artificial intelligence in education from the perspective of students. Many discussions have occurred around assessments and academic integrity from an educators perspective, but how are our students coping with the widespread availability of artificial intelligence?
Persona 1: Over the shoulder AI user
This student has opted to use AI, but chosen not to disclose their use of AI tools to peers or educators. The student is using AI in ways that support their need to work quickly, their wish to consolidate and understand concepts, support with language and writing, brainstorming etc. This type of student is aware that AI can be used to ‘cheat’, but has no intention of using AI for anything more than on-going support. However, the student is fearful of how their use of AI may be viewed by peers or educators, so uses AI secretly. Overall, the student believes using AI is not cheating.
Persona 2: The discombobulated student
This type of student is struggling with uncertainty and confusion. They are unsure when or how it’s appropriate to use AI in their work, hence this student is highly frustrated by the lack of clarity around the use of AI. They firmly believe that directly copying and pasting AI-generated content is cheating, yet other students are using it to do this and there are seemingly no consequences. This student sees the positive support AI can offer but faces ongoing internal conflict on whether to use or not use AI.
Persona 3: The AI opponent
This student has significant concerns about the widespread use of AI, viewing it as a detrimental force that stifles creativity, promotes laziness, and negatively impacts the quality of education. Deeply disillusioned and frustrated, they argue that AI’s integration into education undermines the learning process. This type of student believes AI creates equity issues, given that not all students have equal access to these technologies, yet students who use AI are graded the same as those who do not.
Persona 4: The conflicted guilty student
This type of student is plagued with a mix of anxiety and guilt. Somewhat similar to the first persona, this student sees how AI can be used to support their learning but keeps their use of AI a secret. This secrecy however is compounding their feeling of guilt. Unlike the first persona, this student is not sure if using AI is cheating or not. This student desperately seeks clarity on how and when to use AI. This student constantly compares how they completed work before AI existed and questions the fairness of using or not using AI.
Conclusion
The above personas are an adaptation of insights gathered in a small qualitative research study on learners experiences in higher education. As educators, have we been paying enough attention to the gravity of the impact AI is having on students? Feelings of anxiety, guilt, uncertainty, secrecy, confusion and genuine concern of how AI is impacting the quality of learning are far from trivial.
To begin addressing these genuine concerns, in my opinion, a step in the right direction may be to communicate to students with honesty, openness, empathy and understanding. Be vulnerable with our students. Unfortunately, I suspect our overarching need to focus on assessment, ‘quality assurance’ and reputation is yet again hindering our ability to support our students in a timely manner.
What if educators stated, we are not the experts and we do not have full control of where this is going but we are trying our best and we need your help.
*Images generated by AI: Dall-E
