Towards Developing AI Literacy: Three Student Provocations on AI in Higher Education

Brew, Mavis; Taylor, Stephen; Lam, Rachel; Havemann, Leo and Nerantzi, Chrissi (2023). Towards Developing AI Literacy: Three Student Provocations on AI in Higher Education. Asian Journal of Distance Education, 18(2) pp. 1–11.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8032387

Abstract

This article reports the reflections of the co-organisers on a recent AI in Higher Education event which was led by students from the University of Leeds and University College London. While academic communities and experts have contributed significantly to the discourse, students’ perspectives have so far been underrepresented. Three student provocations are shared which provided the focus of the discussions during the event. The student co-authors present future-gazing visions of the impact of AI in higher education and beyond. Our collaborative reflections highlight that whether we are seeking to bring about desirable, AI-empowered futures, or aspiring to evade undesirable consequences of these new technologies, it will be vital to develop and enhance the AI literacy of students and educators alike in order to make use of it ethically, creatively and critically.

Highlights

What is already known about this topic:
•AI technologies are already in use throughout society, including emerging applications in higher education.
•Recent developments in Large Language Model (LLM) forms of AI which can quickly generate ‘human-like’ writing have been discussed as a watershed moment for higher education pedagogy and assessment.

What this paper contributes:
•Discussion of AI in higher education has so far been driven by the academic community, particularly computer scientists and educationalists, but other disciplines and the voices ofstudents have been underrepresented.
•We seek to highlight a range of student perspectives on the use of AI in higher education for learning, teaching and supporting students' learning.

Implications for theory, practice and/or policy:
•In a rapidly evolving landscape, both staff and students in higher education will need to develop enhanced AI literacy in order to make responsible, ethical, critical and creative uses of AI.
•As higher education institutions move to develop frameworks and policies to govern and promote acceptable and responsible use of AI, staff and students must work in partnership.

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