#1 Victorian uni for graduate employment1
#1 in the world for sport science2
#1 Victorian uni for course satisfaction3
NEXT UP ON this.
‘Everything that is commonplace in life has a legitimate place in the university,’ says Thomas Corbin, research fellow at Deakin University’s Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning. ‘In the context of artificial intelligence (AI), this likely means AI has a place both as a method and a focus of inquiry.’
AI is indeed becoming commonplace in everyday life. Whether we’re asking Alexa or Siri to queue up a playlist, relying on smart navigation tools to guide us across town or keeping warm at home with automated thermostats, AI has quickly integrated itself into many of our daily routines.
That means, as Corbin says, that AI has a place in high education, too – but this opportunity comes with responsibility. If AI is going to be part of university, he says we may need to think carefully about how it fits in, such as when it might undermine learning versus when it might enhance it.
‘This means rethinking how we teach and what we ask students to do,’ Corbin says. ‘As i’ve argued in my research, we can’t just rely on telling students what’s allowed – we need to redesign our educational practices to work with this new reality rather than ignoring it or hoping someone else fixes it for us.’
With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the state of play with AI and university life including how students are using it and what it might mean for the future of study.
For today’s university students, AI might as well stand for ‘all in’, because the cohort has enthusiastically adopted the technology. In fact, one study of more than 8000 Australian university students found that 83% already use AI for their studies.
An immediate concern might be that students are asking AI for answers or outsourcing essays. But Corbin believes that the reality of how students are using AI to study is often far more nuanced.
‘In a study I led at Deakin, we found that 54% of students use AI to engage with their unit readings,’ he says. ‘Very often they did so in ways that supported, rather than undermined their learning.
‘They used it to help understand technical terminology, to critique ideas or clarify meaning. In other words, many students are using AI to break down barriers which otherwise prevent their access to learning, and I think that is a fantastically exciting side to the AI discussion.’
Because the use of AI in universities is still very new, there’s not a lot of consensus on which tools are ‘the best’.
Some universities – like Harvard, for example – offer students a list of some AI tools and a description of what they might be used for, but stop short of making specific recommendations about the best AI tool for research. However, students seem to be forming their own preferences, with one survey suggesting that ChatGPT is the most popular.
When deciding which AI tools might be right for you, it’s always worth looking at reliable, official sources. The Australian Government, for example, has published recommendations on how to navigate using AI in your studies.
Beyond that, students can consult lecturers, tutors or other university staff to get their opinion on which AI tools can support their research and study.
Whether students are turning to ChatGPT or other types of AI for university work, the key question isn’t whether AI is fine to use but how and when it’s appropriate to use them.
Cambridge, for example, has created guidelines for ethical use of AI in a university context, while Deakin University provides guidance on how to use AI with a note to ‘check with your unit chair if it is acceptable to use genAI in your assessment’.
It’s also important to keep in mind that universities can check for AI like ChatGPT being used in your work. Plagiarism detectors like Turnitin can detect AI – as can correction software like Grammarly. These programs can determine what percentage of an essay, for example, has been generated by AI.
So, should you use ChatGPT for study? The answer lies in how you use it. Universities frown upon plagiarism and submitting work that is not your own, but when used responsibly, AI can help to spark ideas, clarify concepts or practice critical thinking.
There’s no denying that AI is becoming more commonplace in life, and an everyday part of university study.
For researchers like Corbin, that means assessing the risks that come with this shift, such as the creation of a divide between AI-literate students and those without the knowledge or skill. He also worries about the danger of ‘intellectual atrophy’ if students rely too heavily on AI instead of developing their own critical thinking.
Despite these concerns, though, Corbin is optimistic about the future of AI and university.
‘I’m genuinely excited about AI’s potential to democratise access to learning,’ he says. ‘We’re already seeing students use it to break down complex texts, get personalised explanations and overcome language barriers.
‘AI could help level the playing field for students who might otherwise struggle with academic discourse. In some cases, it might also free up educators to focus on higher-level thinking, creativity, and human connection.’
