The purpose of this study is to investigate university students’ use of different AI tools in education, measure their attitudes toward using ChatGPT and identify differences in their attitudes toward using ChatGPT based on academic and demographic variables. This study also explored the difficulties the students faced while using ChatGPT in education.
Following a quantitative research approach, a well-organized questionnaire was designed using Google Forms to collect data from the students of a public university in Bangladesh. Using a convenience sampling technique, a total of 365 responses were retrieved. The collected data were analysed using SPSS and Microsoft Excel. Descriptive statistics and different non-parametric tests were used for analysis purposes.
The results of this study revealed that though ChatGPT and Grammarly were the most used AI tools, a notable percentage had never used Gradescope, Slidesgo and MindMeister, indicating a lack of knowledge, training and access. Most students think ChatGPT is a useful tool for coursework, as it saves time and improves learning. The test results revealed that gender, education level and age did not significantly change attitudes; however, attitudes significantly varied by geographic location, internet competency, academic discipline and previous ChatGPT experience or training. This study emphasized the necessity of equal access to AI technologies, focused training programs and AI literacy in the curriculum.
Though the use of AI in education is a well-researched topic nowadays, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first attempt in Bangladesh to study university students’ use of AI tools and attitudes towards using ChatGPT in higher education.
