New research highlights opportunities and challenges of AI Chatbots in Higher Education
The new study is a crucial step in consolidating knowledge about AI in education and in particular AI chatbots, urging caution against overly optimistic or pessimistic views, and calling for more grounded research approaches to better understand the true impact of AI chatbots in the classroom and on teaching and learning practices.
The study examines the emerging research area of Artifical Intelligence (AI) chatbots in Higher Education, focusing specifically on empirical studies conducted since the release of Chat GPT. The review includes 23 research articles published between December 2022 and December 2023 exploring the use of AI chatbots in Higher Education settings.
The study takes a three-pronged approach to the empirical data; examining the state of the emerging field of AI chatbots in Higher Education, the theories of learning used in the empirical studies and it scrutinizes the discourses of AI in Higher Education framing the latest empirical work on AI chatbots.
Study reveals gaps and overhyped expectations
Many studies reviewed did not use established learning theories to analyze AI chatbots, indicating a gap in how these tools are being understood from a learning perspective. This suggests that the empirical work does not yet offer insights into the mechanisms of learning that chatbots may facilitate.
The study highlights a tendency in the literature to use exaggerated language in both dystopian and utopian manner, with some claims about AI chatbots' potential being unsupported by the empirical evidence.
Lack of consistent framework
The research also shows that while AI chatbots are being explored across various disciplines, there is no consistent framework for understanding their effects on education. Replication studies are needed to determine how students engage with chatbots and how such interaction may affect their learning. Teachers are skeptical to the value AI chatbots bring to teaching and learning practices.
Link to the study
Generative AI chatbots in higher education: a review of an emerging research area
Springer (2024), Open Access
Authors
Cormac McGrath, Associate Professor, Department of Education, Stockholm University.
Alexandra Farazouli, PhD student, Department of Education, Stockholm University.
Teresa Cerratto-Pargman, professor of Human-machine interaction, Department of Computer and Systems Sciences, Stockholm University.
Last updated: September 3, 2024
Source: IPD