University Students’ Perspectives on Generative AI in Higher Education: A Study of Northeast and Western India

Abstract

The study aimed to assess the perceptions and knowledge of university students in India regarding the application of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in higher education. The research involved 200 students from two educational institutes in the Northeast and Western regions, using stratified random sampling techniques. The data was collected in-person and analyzed using SPSS software.
The majority of respondents were middle-aged (55.5%), with most being female (73.6%) and male (24.4%). Most were in undergraduate programs (66.2%), with a high percentage (85.5%) from FFCSc, MSU, Gujarat, followed by CCSc, AAU, Assam (61.8%). Nearly half of the respondents fell into the category of average achievers (58.2%), with 59.1% using GenAI for academic purposes. The majority (64.1%) were knowledgeable (68%, 60%) from CCSc, AAU, Assam, and FFCSc, MSU, Gujarat. Overall, over half of the respondents (54.5%) had favorable perceptions of GenAI applications in higher education, with slightly more respondents from CCSc, AAU, Assam than from FFCSc, MSU, Gujarat (53.6%). However, almost half (49%) perceived GenAI applications with more benefits in higher education. Institute-wise, more than half (51.8%) from CCSc, AAU, Assam, and 46.4% from FFCSc, MSU, Gujarat perceived more benefits from GenAI applications in education. However, over half (56.4%) expressed greater concern about GenAI applications in higher education. The results underscore the need for policymakers to develop ethical guidelines and customized interventions on the responsible use of GenAI tools at different educational levels to prepare future human resources in line with market demands. Cooperation between educators, administrators, and policymakers is crucial to responsibly harness GenAI and address its concerns.