Empowering students with digital strategies for Ethical AI and Literacy in one of the comprehensive universities in South Africa

Abstract

This paper adopts the AI Literacy Framework and broader Digital Literacy Frameworks as the theoretical framework to explore students’ behavioural intentions toward AI. AI literacy encompasses learners’ ability to understand, evaluate, and use AI systems critically and ethically, grounding engagement in core values such as human judgment, justice, and informed decision‑making, as emphasised in the Digital Promise AI Literacy Framework. Grounded in the interpretivist paradigm, a survey was conducted to identify additional resources or support to help students engage with AI effectively and responsibly. A total of 165 undergraduate students from one of South Africa’s comprehensive universities completed the survey via Microsoft Forms. The survey had nine (9) questions: seven (7) were closed-ended, while the remaining were open-ended. However, this paper is based on only one of the two open-ended questions: What additional resources or support can help students engage effectively and responsibly with AI? A thematic strategy was adopted for data analysis purposes. The findings of this paper call for AI literacy and capacity-building workshops, clear guidelines for the ethical use of AI, and mentorship, collaboration, and community engagement to advance AI adoption among students. This paper has implications for the adoption of AI in higher education and how such tools can be used effectively for student learning, teaching, and assessment.