Vol. 21 No. 06 (2024): Enhancing Student Engagement using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and chatbots like ChatGPT

Recent developments in Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) have created a paradigm shift in multiple areas of society, and the use of these technologies is likely to become a defining feature of education in coming decades. GenAI

Recent developments in Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) have created a paradigm shift in multiple areas of society, and the use of these technologies is likely to become a defining feature of education in coming decades. GenAI offers transformative pedagogical opportunities, while simultaneously posing ethical and academic challenges. Against this backdrop, we outline a practical, simple, and sufficiently comprehensive tool to allow for the integration of GenAI tools into educational assessment: the AI Assessment Scale (AIAS). The AIAS empowers educators to select the appropriate level of GenAI usage in assessments based on the learning outcomes they seek to address. The AIAS offers greater clarity and transparency for students and educators, provides a fair and equitable policy tool for institutions to work with, and offers a nuanced approach which embraces the opportunities of GenAI while recognising that there are instances where such tools may not be pedagogically appropriate or necessary. By adopting a practical, flexible approach that can be implemented quickly, the AIAS can form a much-needed starting point to address the current uncertainty and anxiety regarding GenAI in education. As a secondary objective, we engage with the current literature and advocate for a refocused discourse on GenAI tools in education, one which foregrounds how technologies can help support and enhance teaching and learning, which contrasts with the current focus on GenAI as a facilitator of academic misconduct.

This study delves into the potential advantages and challenges presented by the implementation of the ChatGPT within the realm of higher education. Specifically, it endeavours to shed light on the transformative effects of ChatGPT on the

This study delves into the potential advantages and challenges presented by the implementation of the ChatGPT within the realm of higher education. Specifically, it endeavours to shed light on the transformative effects of ChatGPT on the research and learning processes. Moreover, this study explores the intricate issues surrounding academic integrity, ethics, and regulatory concerns in this context. Adopting a qualitative research design, the study engaged in semi-structured interviews with 75 esteemed academicians hailing from higher education institutions in North Cyprus. The outcomes of this research endeavour reveal a spectrum of ways in which ChatGPT can augment educational productivity, learning experience, creativity, and idea generation. Nevertheless, it underscores the importance of meticulous consideration of ethical aspects pertaining to academic honesty and the potential over-reliance on ChatGPT. The findings not only offer insights into the opportunities and challenges linked with ChatGPT's integration into higher education, but also advocate for the responsible and ethical utilisation of AI technologies within academic settings. This study substantially contributes to the expanding body of research on the incorporation of artificial intelligence into education. It uniquely focuses on the ChatGPT, an innovative AI-based language model, within the context of higher education. The study's qualitative research methodology, characterised by its exploratory nature, provides a nuanced and comprehensive understanding of the impact of ChatGPT on learning and research writing and offers a wealth of valuable insights intended to assist educators, researchers, institutions and policymakers in their endeavours to seamlessly integrate AI technologies into their educational practices.

With the advent of the popular use of artificial intelligence (AI), the higher education (HE) sector is now facing a new challenge regarding how to exploit the educational potentials of Human-computer interaction (HCI). Developing

With the advent of the popular use of artificial intelligence (AI), the higher education (HE) sector is now facing a new challenge regarding how to exploit the educational potentials of Human-computer interaction (HCI). Developing students’ AI literacy is now attracting the attention of the HE and HCI research community. This paper aims to explore HE students’ perceptions of efficient and critical use of AI tools, and to systematically map the potential components of AI literacy as a new 21st century skill for HE students. This study applied a qualitative, exploratory approach in the form of semi-structured interviews with HE students. Results indicate that the participants primarily use ChatGPT for tasks such as brainstorming, topic selection, searching for information, and translation. While many find it useful for creating and reformatting texts, some encountered challenges, including generality in responses, outdated information, and issues during exams. Students highlighted its effectiveness in various academic tasks, from writing essays and CVs to language learning and transcription. Instructors’ perspectives on ChatGPT varied, with some advocating for its integration, while others expressed concerns about job security and misinformation. The implications of the study call for a more systematic introduction and discussion around AI literacy in educational settings.

Feedback, particularly the formative or ‘feed-forward’ type is important for students in higher education to understand their errors and improve their expression and clarity of ideas. While technology-assisted feedback modes, e.g., audio

Feedback, particularly the formative or ‘feed-forward’ type is important for students in higher education to understand their errors and improve their expression and clarity of ideas. While technology-assisted feedback modes, e.g., audio or video are prevalent, ensuring their efficacy and succinctness, particularly for non-English-speaking background (NESB) educators can be challenging. This study investigates the attitudes and experiences of NESB educators in the School of Engineering of RMIT University, with a focus on their use of AI-assisted tools for providing feedback to students in higher education settings. Utilising a survey, the researchers examined how personal and linguistic attributes influenced feedback strategies and explored the educators' perspectives on integrating AI tools, such as ChatGPT and BARD, in their teaching practice and to enhance student engagement with the feedback they received. Through thematic analysis the findings reveal that personal background and linguistic proficiency significantly influenced the provision of feedback. Furthermore, even though educators had different levels of familiarity with AI-assisted tools, there was a general consensus on the potential utility of these tools for improving feedback provision. These will require targeted staff training, careful human oversight to ensure quality and avoid bias, and customised AI training to align feedback with individual teaching styles.

This study explores the utilization and perception of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools among students in higher education. With the growing accessibility of AI technologies, their integration into educational settings presents a new

This study explores the utilization and perception of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools among students in higher education. With the growing accessibility of AI technologies, their integration into educational settings presents a new frontier for enhancing learning experiences. This research adopts a mixed-methods approach, including surveys and interviews, to delve into how students employ AI tools and their perceived benefits and drawbacks of AI usage in the context of entrepreneurship education in a business school. The findings reveal a diverse range of AI applications, highlighting benefits such as increased productivity, personalized learning, and enhanced linguistic capability. However, concerns regarding academic integrity, over-reliance on AI, and the need for clear usage guidelines are also identified. This study contributes to the understanding of AI's role in higher education and provides much-needed empirical evidence of AI usage from students’ perspectives. Our findings underscore the importance of balanced, informed, and ethical use of AI tools in higher education.

Acknowledging its potential on diversifying economy and attaining sustainable development, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, comprising of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates, have

Acknowledging its potential on diversifying economy and attaining sustainable development, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, comprising of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates, have been investing heavily on digital transformation and keeping pace with technological advancements. In particular, over the last years, with the unified efforts on transitioning to a knowledge society and enhancing educational outcomes, GCC countries have been demonstrating a strong dedication on integrating artificial intelligence in education (AIED). This systematic review investigates characteristics of artificial intelligence (AI) research in the region, identifying advantages and disadvantages of AI utilization in higher education, and exploring main issues accompanied with possible directions for the future. In the Scopus database, 32 studies were analyzed, all open access documents affiliated to a GCC country, having artificial intelligence and higher education, or related terminologies as keywords. Results revealed that AI applications were beneficial for institutions to improve educational outcomes, assist in decision-making, and advance institutional systems. No study reported negativity resulting from AI practices. However, important barriers were identified that hinder the full deployment of AI in higher education, including poor technology skills, inadequate technology infrastructure, resistance in leveraging traditional approaches in education, and challenges related to structural complexity of Arabic language. Future directions are proposed, offering opportunities for practitioners and research potential for scholars.

This research aimed to comprehensively analyze the use of chatbots in language education and its potential for advancing educational development. Through a bibliometric and systematic approach, the study identified influential authors

This research aimed to comprehensively analyze the use of chatbots in language education and its potential for advancing educational development. Through a bibliometric and systematic approach, the study identified influential authors, references, organizations, and countries in the field of chatbot application in language education using VOSviewer. A total of 26 peer-reviewed publications were selected for a systematic review. The findings of the study indicated that chatbots have a positive impact on language learning, although they are limited in terms of facilitating listening and writing practice. The study extended the Human-Organization-Technology (HOT) fit framework for chatbots’ use for language education and discussed the factors that frustrate learners' use of chatbots for language education from human, organization, and technology dimensions. Furthermore, the author further discussed the suggestions for chatbots’ better application for language education based on the three dimensions.

The study conducted in the centre of Vietnam in 2023 aims to explore English-majored students’ perceptions towards the application of ChatGPT in developing students’ English language. The research was grounded on the Technology Acceptance

The study conducted in the centre of Vietnam in 2023 aims to explore English-majored students’ perceptions towards the application of ChatGPT in developing students’ English language. The research was grounded on the Technology Acceptance Model developed by Davis (1998) and further revised by Shoufan (2023). The quantitative approach was selected for the study with the questionnaire as the instrument. 369 English-majored students who have experienced using ChatGPT in language learning were selected for the study. The findings reveal that although students found it easy to use ChatGPT as well as perceived it as a useful tool for their language learning, they had neutral opinions on its usefulness. Furthermore, students had a high level of attitudes towards the use of ChatGPT in language learning while the negative attitudes towards it were found to be at a low level. While genders were recognised not to have impacts on students’ perceptions, class levels had significant effects on those of students It is highly recommended that teaching strategies, careful monitoring, and a balance between the use of ChatGPT and human interaction should be under consideration for an effective adoption of ChatGPT in language learning and teaching.