Embedded Files
The NYU Usability Lab conducted interviews to learn more about Liberal Studies students' habits surrounding AI and their coursework.
Project Background
Project Background
The goals of this research were to understand the top reasons students were using AI, the tools they’re using, more context around when and how they were leveraging these tools, where they drew the line with acceptable use, and their perspectives on their professors’ opinions regarding AI.
Project timeframe: 4 weeks. March-April 2024.
Audience: All NYU leadership and faculty.
Stakeholder: NYU Liberal Studies
The Study
The Study
Research Method: User Interviews
7 undergraduate students were recruited from Liberal Studies, all in various stages of their college journey. The participants were interviewed by a research facilitator and asked about their habits with and thoughts on AI in the classroom.
Participants discussed some of the following during interviews:
Which platform students are using
Frequency of use
Top use cases of "acceptable" use
When is using AI cheating?
Research sessions concluded with some reflective questions for the students about how AI has changed their learning process.
Research Sessions: Sessions were conducted one-on-one remotely via Zoom web conferencing and recorded for post-session analysis. Sessions ran for approximately 45 minutes per participant.
Analysis: After speaking with a participant, the facilitator reviewed notes and highlighted key insights from each session. Themes among participant behavior and opinions were gathered, along with participants' thoughts on how NYU LS handles the use of AI.
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
Top takeaways from this research included:
How do students define "cheating" while using AI? All participants felt the work needs to ultimately be their own and they need to use their own words, but they do not feel that using AI to help them is wrong or cheating. The participants felt that “cheating” with AI is when someone directly copies and pastes an answer AI gives them and passes it off as their own work on an assignment.
Student thoughts on NYU instructors and AI. Student participants mentioned that most of their professors outright ban the use of AI in their courses. Some professors allow students to use it and state that the learning is up to them, as they cannot use AI on their exams. The participants expressed frustration with the policy of banning AI, because they believe it can be used as a helpful tool to supplement their learning and that it will become part of normal technology use regardless.
Top AI use cases. The consensus amongst the participants was that using AI to help with school work is only acceptable if the work they are handing in is in their own words. Students mentioned using AI in the following ways:
Writing: checking grammar, generating titles for papers, rewording sentences, finding sources, making outlines, generating ideas, checking against prompts, and checking/formatting bibliographies.
Reading: Clarify complex topics, summarize texts, find quotes, define vocabulary
Math/STEM: Check coding problems, practice math problems, break down equations and order of operations, break down challenging concepts, and find examples.
Impact
Impact
The final report shaped how Liberal Studies leadership set policies around student AI use.
The findings were used to educate faculty on how to manage student use of AI in their classrooms.
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