Date
Publisher
arXiv
The application of Artificial Intelligence, in particular Generative AI, has
become more widespread among educational institutions. Opinions vary widely on
whether integrating AI into classrooms is the way forward or if it is
detrimental to the quality of education. Increasingly, research studies are
giving us more insight into the consequences of using AI tools in learning and
teaching. Studies have shown how, when, and why students use AI tools. Because
developments regarding the technology and its use are moving fast, we need
frequent, ongoing, and more fine-grained investigation. One aspect that we do
not know much about yet is how students use and think about AI across
\textit{different types of education}. In this paper, we present the results of
a multi-institutional survey with responses from 410 students enrolled in the
computing programs of 23 educational institutions, representing high schools,
colleges, and research universities. We found distinct usage patterns across
the three educational institution types. Students from all types express
excitement, optimism, and gratitude toward GenAI. Students in higher education
more often report worry and skepticism, while high school students report
greater trust and fewer negative feelings. Additionally, the AI hype has had a
minimal influence, positive or negative, on high school students' decision to
pursue computing. Our study contributes to a better understanding of
inter-institutional differences in AI usage and perception and can help
educators and students better prepare for future challenges related to AI in
computing education.
Study at a glance
- Question: How do computing students across high schools, vocational colleges, and research universities use and perceive generative AI?
- Setting and data: Netherlands; 410 computing students across 23 educational institutions (7 high schools, 7 colleges, 9 research universities); survey administered around Spring 2025.
- Method: Multi-institutional comparative survey with closed- and open-ended questions (mixed methods).
Why it matters
Research on generative AI in computing education usually focuses on single university settings, leaving little known about how usage and perceptions differ across high schools, vocational colleges, and research universities.
Key findings
- High school students mainly use generative AI for text tasks and learning, whereas college and university students use it primarily for programming tasks.
- Across all groups, students express excitement and optimism about generative AI, but college and university students report more worry and skepticism than high school students.
- High school and vocational college students hold more permissive ethical views regarding using generative AI for assignments than research university students.
Summary drafted with AI from the full paper and may contain errors. See the full paper for details.
What is the application?
Who is the user?
Who age?
Study design
