Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: Investigating Students’ Perceptions of Its Use in Teaching and Learning

Abstract

The rapid development of the concept of artificial intelligence (AI) has increasingly encouraged its integration into higher education. Choices regarding the adoption of AI should consider also the perspectives of students, as primary beneficiaries of academic training. This study reports the findings of a survey based on 21 closed-ended-item questionnaire, structured into sets of seven variables. The aim is to assess the integration of artificial intelligence into the teaching-learning process across the three fundamental instructional formats: courses, seminars, and practical work. The tool allowed the collection of 243 valid responses from students enrolled in four faculties at “Vasile Alecsandri” University of Bacau and one technical faculty within “Gheorghe Asachi” University of Iasi, Romania all of whom had benefited from AI-supported teaching activities (courses, seminars, practical work) and completed the questionnaire in full. The results indicate an overall positive student perception of AI integration in the academic process, while also highlighting areas for future development and improvement. Being among the first experimental evidence on this topic in the Romanian higher education context, the conclusions enhance both the relevance and the practical value of the study.