College Students’ Intention to Use AI Tools in Academia

Abstract

While artificial intelligence (AI) tools have great potential to enhance college students’ learning experiences, many higher education institutions are concerned about the adoption of AI tools in college courses and assume that college students’ may misuse them. However, very little research has been conducted that examines college students’ intention to use AI tools for academic purposes. The purpose of this study was to examine factors predicting college students’ intention to use AI tools for academic purposes. Eighty-four students taking a strategic communication course at a mid-western university in the United States participated in the study. The results of this study’s regression analysis showed that college students perceived usefulness of and self-efficacy in using AI tools predicted their intention to use them for academic purposes, while perceived ease of use was not a significant predictor. In addition, the analyses of open-ended questions showed that college students understand both the benefits and challenges AI tools may bring to academia. The study is significant in that it found that not every student agrees to the use of AI tools for academics, and students’ understanding of AI tools is mature. The results reject the assumption that many college students may misuse AI tools for academic purposes. Further discussion is provided.