What do students think about the use of AI in their studies?
Insights from a student survey on AI in studying and teaching
In a survey, a total of 105 students were asked about their experiences, assessments and wishes regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in their studies. The results provide an insight into the current status and existing needs.
One key finding: a large proportion of students see potential for improvement in the provision of AI tools. Around 50% of respondents believe that Viadrina does not provide enough AI applications, while around 40% rate this positively. At the same time, almost half of the students stated that they do not know or use any corresponding tools. The best known is ChatGPT, which was explicitly mentioned by around 18% of respondents. The use of AI in teaching itself has also been perceived rather cautiously so far. Around 74% of students report that AI-supported tools or methods are rarely or never used in courses. At the same time, the quality of AI use by lecturers is predominantly rated positively: around 61% rate it as average to very good.
It is also clear that AI already plays an important role in everyday student life: The vast majority of students (around 80%) use AI tools at least occasionally for learning.
With regard to examinations, the picture is mixed. Although many students consider the current examination formats to be (partially) appropriate when dealing with AI, just under a third (around 30%) express doubts about this. At the same time, more than half of those surveyed see a clear risk that AI tools could distort the validity of certain examination formats. When asked about future-proof examination formats, many students are in favour of more practice-oriented approaches. Practical projects and project work are mentioned particularly frequently. Oral defences (colloquia) and project work with presentations are also highlighted as suitable forms of performance assessment.
In addition to these assessments, students also formulate specific wishes and needs. These include, in particular, clear rules and guidelines for dealing with AI as well as targeted further training programmes, for example on topics such as prompting, AI in a legal context or basic AI literacy.
Overall, the results show that AI is already firmly anchored in everyday student life - at the same time, there is an additional need for orientation, structural offers and greater integration into teaching and studies.
Many thanks to all students who took part in the survey. The results will flow directly into the further development of programmes, support structures and regulations for the use of AI at the university.
Some of the needs mentioned in the survey are already addressed by existing programmes and structures:
- Central AI page: Information, tools and tips on the use of AI in studies are available in a bundled form.
- AI tools: With offers such as HAWKI, AI applications are already available to students.
- Regulations on examinations: There are already guidelines for dealing with AI in examinations.
The survey also highlighted areas where further action is needed. Building on this, the university is currently working on the following points:
- Visibility and expansion of offerings: Existing AI tools and information are to be communicated in a more targeted manner, while at the same time further tools are being reviewed and added where necessary.
- Clarity in audit regulations: The requirements for the use of AI in examinations will be further concretised and prepared in an understandable way.
- Integration into teaching: Teachers should be given more support in integrating AI-supported methods into courses in a meaningful way. To this end, discussions are planned with those responsible for the degree programmes.
- Continuing education programmes: The expansion of qualification programmes for lecturers and administrative staff is planned, for example on prompting, AI in the subject context or AI literacy.
- Further development of examination formats: Workshops on the topic of AI and examinations will be held in the summer semester to discuss and further develop existing formats. Contact person: Prof Dr Charlotte Köhler