An assessment of ChatGPT use among first-semester college students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61273/neyart.v4i1.209Palabras clave:
Academic adaptation, ChatGPT, Higher education, Academic integrity, Artificial intelligence.Resumen
This study evaluated the use, perceptions, and academic impact of ChatGPT among forty-four first-semester college students using a positivist quantitative approach. These results showed an overall low-to-moderate adoption profile consisting of limited knowledge and mostly expressive rather than academic use. The majority of academic uses included text translation and understanding content presented in class, indicating that students primarily use the tool for lower-order cognitive tasks. However, even with this early use of generative artificial intelligence, we observe significant ethical scrutiny through the lens of educational integrity from participating students expressing critical reflection. As for the downside, distraction while studying and an unwillingness to do their share were among the top issues identified, with low scores for performance decrease. To conclude, the major transition to and workload of higher learning lauds a time where adaptability and vulnerability is arguably at its peak. Consequently, explicitly pedagogic strategies and digital literacy programs should be a focus in the first years of higher education, as they have shown to foster critical skills, above all original thinking and an ethical, responsible and educational use of these technologies.
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