Students’ Perceptions of AI Digital Assistants (AIDAs): Should Institutions Invest in Their Own AIDAs?
This mixed methods study explores 315 distance learning students’ perceptions of artificial intelligence digital assistants (AIDAs) over an 11-month period in three distinct studies. The research investigates student perspectives on both a publicly available AI digital assistant (p-AIDA), such as Ch...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/8/4279 |
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| author | Bart Rienties Felipe Tessarolo Emily Coughlan Tim Coughlan John Domingue |
| author_facet | Bart Rienties Felipe Tessarolo Emily Coughlan Tim Coughlan John Domingue |
| author_sort | Bart Rienties |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This mixed methods study explores 315 distance learning students’ perceptions of artificial intelligence digital assistants (AIDAs) over an 11-month period in three distinct studies. The research investigates student perspectives on both a publicly available AI digital assistant (p-AIDA), such as ChatGPT, and a potential institutionally developed AI digital assistant (i-AIDA). Findings indicate that students highly valued 24/7 immediate academic feedback and the personalisation of the i-AIDA, and these perspectives remained largely stable across the three studies. However, concerns about academic integrity, data privacy, and ethical implications persisted across the studies. A cluster analysis identified three distinct student groups of highly critical, supportive, and keenly supportive learners, with key differences based on prior GenAI experience, educational background, and age. This study underscores both the potential and challenges of developing institutional AI solutions to enhance student learning while addressing privacy and ethical concerns. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cd95c844d3f842aab646268e4a24ac0e |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-cd95c844d3f842aab646268e4a24ac0e2025-08-20T02:24:43ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-04-01158427910.3390/app15084279Students’ Perceptions of AI Digital Assistants (AIDAs): Should Institutions Invest in Their Own AIDAs?Bart Rienties0Felipe Tessarolo1Emily Coughlan2Tim Coughlan3John Domingue4Institute of Educational Technology, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UKInstitute of Educational Technology, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UKInstitute of Educational Technology, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UKInstitute of Educational Technology, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UKKnowledge Media Institute, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UKThis mixed methods study explores 315 distance learning students’ perceptions of artificial intelligence digital assistants (AIDAs) over an 11-month period in three distinct studies. The research investigates student perspectives on both a publicly available AI digital assistant (p-AIDA), such as ChatGPT, and a potential institutionally developed AI digital assistant (i-AIDA). Findings indicate that students highly valued 24/7 immediate academic feedback and the personalisation of the i-AIDA, and these perspectives remained largely stable across the three studies. However, concerns about academic integrity, data privacy, and ethical implications persisted across the studies. A cluster analysis identified three distinct student groups of highly critical, supportive, and keenly supportive learners, with key differences based on prior GenAI experience, educational background, and age. This study underscores both the potential and challenges of developing institutional AI solutions to enhance student learning while addressing privacy and ethical concerns.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/8/4279artificial intelligencegenerative AIdigital assistantpublic vs. institutional AIstudent expectationsdistance learning |
| spellingShingle | Bart Rienties Felipe Tessarolo Emily Coughlan Tim Coughlan John Domingue Students’ Perceptions of AI Digital Assistants (AIDAs): Should Institutions Invest in Their Own AIDAs? Applied Sciences artificial intelligence generative AI digital assistant public vs. institutional AI student expectations distance learning |
| title | Students’ Perceptions of AI Digital Assistants (AIDAs): Should Institutions Invest in Their Own AIDAs? |
| title_full | Students’ Perceptions of AI Digital Assistants (AIDAs): Should Institutions Invest in Their Own AIDAs? |
| title_fullStr | Students’ Perceptions of AI Digital Assistants (AIDAs): Should Institutions Invest in Their Own AIDAs? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Students’ Perceptions of AI Digital Assistants (AIDAs): Should Institutions Invest in Their Own AIDAs? |
| title_short | Students’ Perceptions of AI Digital Assistants (AIDAs): Should Institutions Invest in Their Own AIDAs? |
| title_sort | students perceptions of ai digital assistants aidas should institutions invest in their own aidas |
| topic | artificial intelligence generative AI digital assistant public vs. institutional AI student expectations distance learning |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/8/4279 |
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