Getting Comfortable With AI: A study on Student Use, Impact, and Opinion

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

Citations

Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/bv73c207f

Abstract

The immediate response of the higher education establishment to the introduction of ChatGPT and AI-based Tools has focused primarily on Academic Integrity, that is students using Artificial Intelligence, or AI, to "cheat". How AI-based tools could positively impact students’ comprehension of material as well as inclusiveness has been secondary, if considered at all. It was also unclear to what extent students were aware of AI-based tools and using these technologies, impacting their approaches to learning. There are gaps in our understanding of how undergraduate students are viewing, being impacted by, and thinking about ChatGPT and other AI-based tools in an academic context. To begin to address these questions I asked students their thoughts on AI-based tools. I interviewed and surveyed a set of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology (MCDB) undergraduate majors at the University of Colorado Boulder to gain insight into the research question; how is AI utilized by students, impacting their education, and being perceived within an academic context? Paired with background research, the data collected from students showed the impact of AI-based tools on undergraduate students’ learning processes, their perceived value of education, and how they are approaching the future.

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