Usage of AI in Higher Education: A Global Perspective
By- Dr. Mahaboob Subhani. Shaik , University Post-Doctoral Fellow (UPDF)
Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering and Sciences (SEAS), SRM University – AP
As the first-year engineering students enter the campus with fresh minds and with a lot of aspirations and ambitions, when they come across a new ambience, make new friends, experience different cultural differences, and foremost, transition to a university ecosystem. As universities frame the policies and help in all aspects for ambitious learners to become successful graduates and shape their careers. In this aspect, universities across India have adopted a new culture called “Induction Programme”, where the students and parents are sensitised to the various policies of the universities, which help their ward make use of the opportunities to build the career they wish to pursue. Universities are not alone confined to producing successful graduates but also make their learning process to be a meaningful and cherished later. In this context, I wish to bring the importance of the usage of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their learning process throughout their degree programme. And, add the global perspective.
Before the launch of AI tools, the learning transaction happened between the faculty and the students in the classrooms through lectures, notes, tutoring, and assignments (theoretical or practical) and their assessment was based on their understanding of the fundamentals, applications, oral or written examination. After the lecture, a student used to refer to the textbooks or references for better understanding the fundamentals and applying them to solve a given problem. A few used to enjoy the struggle of the learning process and the immense satisfaction after understanding. The lectures also had an impact on the students, which created a curiosity for learning and attending the lectures. To share the best practices in teaching and learning among peers and to be globally relevant, the Teaching Learning Centres (TLC) have been established. As everyone knows, there is a buzz about AI and its impact on various industries and sectors. The Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are not an exception. Along with advantages, challenges also arise with the adoption of AI.
The economist Jason Furman has stated in “The Harvard Crimson” that a few students have completely relied on AI to complete assignments without engaging in genuine learning, as it provides responses and solutions in a few seconds. In such cases, the AI has tempted students to bypass the effort of learning. While some other students have used it responsibly to overcome conceptual barriers and gain a better understanding of complex concepts. In his opinion essay in “The New York Times”, Bret Stephens argued that students should refrain from using AI to write their academic assignments, research articles, and any other communication on their behalf. This will slowly weaken their cognitive abilities, rather than being meant to cultivate clear thinking, reasoning, and accountability. He also stated that writing shall allow individuals to organise their thoughts, bring their ideas together, and articulate arguments with precision. By allowing AI to generate sentences, paragraphs, or complete drafts, individuals bypass this essential exercise. He compares AI-assisted writing to using an escalator instead of stairs: while it gets you to your goal faster, it sacrifices the effort needed to develop essential resilience. On the same note, Tara G. Malhotra, in his opinionated article in “The Harvard Crimson”, said that AI is overcoming all the obstacles, making the task effortless. He strongly believes that Learning is inherently iterative and often uncomfortable, and the struggle involved in mastering a skill is essential to meaningful education. Removing this productive friction could lead to an overdependence on AI, which might reduce the qualities that make learning truly transformative. He also states that HEIs should preserve space for extensive efforts, reflection, and even inefficiency, recognizing that these experiences cultivate accomplishment, resilience, and meaning.
On the other hand, Generation Z (often known as Gen Z) are more enthusiastic towards technology and the adoption of AI. As no one can stop them from accessing the AI tools. As they are not aware of the implications of generative AI and adopt it when they are required without assessing its authenticity, proper reasoning and validation. This may send mixed signals on the usage of AI. Megan W. Gerhardt in “Harvard Business Impact Education”, as she rightly pointed out, as the faculty in the classroom does not want the students to use AI for their assignments, drafting papers, and other forms of communication, and at the same time, the employers are expecting the graduates to be proficient in the usage of AI for higher efficiency at their workplace. These two arguments contradict each other but are justified from their own perspectives.
To balance between both the stakeholders, the educational institutions should frame the policies on the usage of AI, make them understand the functioning of AI, why they produce such hallucinations, how to verify AI-generated information, and who remains accountable for AI-assisted work.The institutions should adopt the usage of AI in a phased manner across disciplines. Mim Rahimi, in his article “The Nature”, suggested that institutions should prioritise AI literacy rather than AI use. Institutions should also communicate clearly how AI is used in teaching, assessment, advising, tutoring, and plagiarism detection, including what decisions remain under human control and how errors can be challenged. At the same time, institutions should preserve for the human capacities essential for learning.
