How Do Academic Students Use Generative AI?

Artificial intelligence rapidly transformed, and continues to transform, how society interacts with and uses technology. Has AI changed the college experience for academic students? Are students keeping up with the rapid changes AI has brought forth? In an updated report, Jisc, a UK non-profit data and technology agency, provides answers to these questions and explains how academic students use AI (Jisc, 2024).

To update a 2023 report, nine in-person discussion forums were held at various institutions with over 200 college and university students participating. Jisc learned that academic students have dramatically changed how and the extent they utilize AI since the August study. Student expectations of their institution to prepare them for employment in an AI world have also increased (Jisc, 2024).

Academic learners don’t view generative AI as a provider of answers but as a collaborative digital assistant tool that enhances active learning and critical thinking. Many students use free versions of AI, while others pay for improved access if the tool aids in accessibility, fits neurodiversity needs, or is career focused (Jisc, 2024).

Following are a few examples of the numerous ways in which students apply AI tools in their educational experience. For a more comprehensive list, refer to the reference at the end of this article (Jisc, 2024).

Communications and Content Creations
Generative AI guides students to communicate more effectively, clearly, efficiently, and professionally.

Learning
Students use AI as a learning tool to

• access after-hours support or tutoring
• ask multiple questions until they fully understand content
• create tailored study aids and flashcards
• learn English or other languages

Researching 
Generative AI tools aid students in research by

• speeding up and simplifying the process
• summarizing lengthy articles and papers
• identifying work relevant to their topic
• breaking down complex topics

Programming 
Computer learners can become more productive and creative by using AI to

• identify errors in coding
• develop script
• solve coding problems

Creativity and Idea Development
Generative AI tools are viewed as a creative collaborator which inspires creativity in its users by presenting new possibilities and ideas. AI tools allow creators to express themselves by merging or manipulating images that fit their ideas.

Productivity and Task Management
Students who used AI as a personal organization tool found they had more free time for themselves or family. AI tools allowed them to

• re-prioritize tasks
• manage calendars
• meet deadlines

According to the Jisc report, students also use generative AI tools for personal or emotional support. The tools allow some learners to feel less lonely, while others use them as a guide or support to overcome fears and become a more confident individual.

Jisc found that academic students have become more AI literate since the 2023 report. Learners experiment with and use a variety of AI tools to access new information, become more creative, and support and enhance their learning experience. While students are learning the capacity and limitations of generative AI by using the tools, they also feel a need for information literacy skills that help assess the information, sources, and content they encounter. Students are looking to their institutions to provide courses in AI that help learners

• use AI effectively and responsibly
• use AI tools specific to content areas
• critically evaluate AI outputs
• deal with misinformation

As students use generative AI more frequently, they are concerned of losing their individual voice and creativity by becoming too dependent on the tools. Learners would like institutions to help find a balance between excessively using AI and retaining personal intellectual growth. Some students also think teachers should become more confident AI users so they can support their students (Jisc, 2024).

This article touched on a few topics discussed in the forums, but the entire article brings forth student comments on generative AI and academic integrity, responsible and ethical use, and employment. You may also click here to read the August 2023 Jisc report on student perceptions of generative AI.

Reference

Jisc. (2024, May). Student perceptions of generative AI. Bristol.

More Information Than I Can Share

Several weeks ago, I attended a webinar titled Inclusive and Ethical A.I. for Academic Libraries. The content was interesting and informational, but it’s difficult to condense an hour-long conversational webinar into a short Flickertale article. This article provides a few question/answer segments from the presentation.

Karim Boughida—Dean of University Libraries—Stony Brook University
Keith Webster—Junior Dean of the University Libraries—Carnegie Mellon University
Kim Nayyer—Edward Cornell Law Librarian
Alexia Hudson-Ward—moderator

Alexia:
What can academic library leaders do to be sure inclusive A.I. is being supported and promoted in the library and on campuses?

Karim:
The ethical and main goal for implementing and teaching A.I. should be to extend human intelligence, not replace it. Karim strongly encourages academic libraries and library staff to be involved in the guidance and governance of A.I. on campuses. He believes A.I. is transformational and can help librarians serve their communities, but services should focus not only on technical aspects, but ethical and societal impacts as well. Ethical concerns can be alleviated through

• programs that teach how to ethically interact with A.I. 
• instruction that explains the societal impact of A.I. 
• welcoming all people to A.I. labs by hiring a diversity of students in race, sex, and gender to staff the lab. A diverse staff also brings in various background knowledge, ways of working with A.I., and influences decisions being made. 

Alexia:
How should library leaders and staff start preparing and supporting inclusive A.I. within their libraries and institutions?

Kim:
Because technology and A.I. are part of life, library leaders should encourage all staff to become more hands on and overcome any fear or anxiety they may experience while working with technology or A.I. Instead of asking IT for assistance, individuals can learn more about A.I. and tech by delving in and working to find solutions or figuring out how a product works. Since A.I. wasn’t created or designed with ethical or inclusive standards in mind, it is important for everyone to become more involved and informed on these topics by using the A.I. programs, learning from them, and becoming an active voice in the decision making process of ethically implementing the products.

Keith:
It is imperative that everyone in the library be provided opportunities to experiment with, learn from, and understand some of the ethical concerns of A.I. Through communication and training, potential downsides of A.I. can be assessed and confronted as it continues to change how technology is used in society.

Keith explained that there is much to learn about using A.I., so A.I. literacy should be the primary focus in library outreach for all types of libraries. It is a library’s responsibility to provide A.I. education to colleagues and communities. He views “inclusive A.I.” as a subfield of “ethical A.I.,” so programs should focus on being unbiased, accessible to everyone, and benefit all members of society. The programs should not exclude minority, marginalized, or underrepresented groups in any manner. 

Alexia:
What does professional development look like for librarians, how do library leaders upskill or reskill for the age of A.I.?

Karim:
Before libraries and their staff can move forward or keep up with the ever-changing A.I. landscape, library directors/leaders must support and guide professional development for library staff. Entities who lack leadership in promoting, reskilling, or upskilling will find it more difficult to catch up on or keep up with A.I. technology.

Keith:
Time, resources, and learning opportunities will enable employees to transition from concern about A.I. to applying skills while using it.

Kim:
Professional development budgets need to be increased and individuals be allowed to learn in areas important to them. A.I. professional development can take place through

• colleagues, who are more familiar with A.I. and A.I. resources, sharing their knowledge on blogs.  
• casual seminars. 
• informal research and knowledge sharing groups sharing ideas and asking questions.  
• reading (a short article), sharing ideas, and asking questions.  
• lunchtime workshops to share resources and collaborate with others. 
• each staff member actively engaging in reskilling and upskilling their A.I. knowledge and experience. 
• actively engaged teachers instructing students in foundational A.I. topics such what an LLM is, what machine learning means and doesn’t mean. 

These were the final questions posed to the panelists.  

1. How should library staff and leaders be thinking about and preparing to address ethical dilemmas that are A.I. related?
2. How can academic libraries successfully navigate, change, and reduce fears that come with implementing more A.I. tools within our work?

Consider viewing the webinar in its entirety to hear how the panelist responded by clicking on the link listed as a reference.

Reference

Inclusive and Ethical A.I. for Academic Libraries. YouTube. (2023, December 8). https://youtu.be/uVtBINoJdvk?si=MZgMTqX3j-18ZrQP

ChatGPT and Library Academic Research

As you most likely already know, AI and ChatGPT have been hot topics over the past several months. There are pros and cons to almost everything we encounter, and such is the case with ChatGPT. The question is, are there more pros or cons in using ChatGPT as a research tool in the academic library?  

In his blog post, “ChatGPT as a Tool for Library Research – Some Notes and Suggestions,” Nick Pavlovski stated that while the value of using ChatGPT and similar AI tools to create original content has been made, there hasn’t been much said about using the tools as an aid in academia library research. Pavlovski sees ChatGPT and its alternatives having potential value as a library search tool. The blog post focuses on ChatGPT 3.5, not ChatGPT 4, which is the more advanced and fee-based chatbot (Pavlovski, 2024).  

Pavlovski explains that while chatbot tools can be used without training, users who know and apply a few techniques may receive better feedback. First, know the limits of ChatGPT. One limit is that chatbots have “hallucinations” and shouldn’t be considered as a single source of accuracy and truth. Another limit is ChatGPT’s ability to become confused if a topic is changed during a chat. Chatbots perform best with continuity and focus, so it’s best to begin a new chat instead of changing topics in an existing one. A third limit for users to remember is that ChatGPT 3.5 is not capable of updating its information like a search engine. STEM academics and researchers, or anyone needing current information in their field of study, should remember that ChatGPT was trained in 2021 using a finite chunk of data making its information weak in some subjects and useless in others (Pavlovski, 2024).  

Pavlovski provides several suggestions on how to use ChatGPT. Users who know how to treat ChatGPT will have more effective chats. The blogger advises treating ChatGPT as a human who needs specific instructions and information verified by the user. Improve chatbot responses by providing periodic feedback along with instructions in prompts, such as, “That was very helpful. Can you tell me more about…?” Second, be specific and provide examples when giving prompts. Tell ChatGPT what you want it to do; not what you don’t want it to do. Be specific in the number of responses you want, don’t leave the list infinite. For example, “Give me five ideas on how to address global warming in the plains region.” Another suggestion is to instruct the chatbot to provide a response suitable for a specific audience or at a level that meets your needs. For example, ask for a response suitable for a first-year nursing student or an undergraduate in psychology. Finally, role-playing is also an effective method to apply when entering prompts in ChatGPT. Pavlovski provided the following role-playing example giving himself and ChatGPT roles in the prompt he entered (Pavlovski, 2024). 

“I am a civil engineer but have no experience in construction management. You are an experienced construction management engineer with additional experience in project management. Give me a basic plan and timeline to manage a construction project for a new small high school.” 

Pavlovski concluded his blog post by explaining four research library tasks he views most suited to ChatGPT. Listed tasks include: 

1. gathering keywords for searching 
2. suggesting keyword synonyms 
3. summarizing text 
4. truncating words 

Rather than explain each of the tasks, I’ve quoted prompts Pavlovski provided in his blog.  

1. Asking for keywords while using role-playing, setting limits and subject knowledge: 

“I am an undergraduate student researching the recycling of bricks and building debris into concrete. I am interested in finding out if spent tea leaves could be included in a concrete mix. You are an academic librarian. Brainstorm 20 keywords for me to try using in academic databases to see if there are already publications about this topic.” 

2. Prompting ChatGPT to suggest synonyms for keywords: 

“Suggest 10 synonyms relevant to engineering that I can use for the following words: manufacture; properties; debris; bricks.”   

3. ChatGPT has an approximate 500-word prompt limit, so to summarize text break it into 500-word pieces and prompt each piece to be summarized. Example: 

 “Summarize this text in five sentences or less. Summarize it for me as if I am a first-year undergraduate student.” 

4. Pavlovski found truncating words using ChatGPT is challenging and may need more experimenting, but here is what he experienced: 

First prompt: “Please truncate this list of keywords and ensure that the Boolean Operator * is the last character in each word: Production; Manufacture; Fabrication; Specifications; Rubble; Remnants; Fragments; Waste; Residue; Masonry; Blocks; Construction; Structural.” 

ChatGPT responded by listing each of the words with an asterisk in place of the final letter, such as Productio*, Manufactur*, Fabricatio*, ect.  

Pavlovski got better results when he then prompted with feedback and provided the chatbot examples:  

“Thanks. It’s not quite what I wanted. What I want is the Boolean operator * placed as the last character in each word but I want it placed where the core part of the word is retained and all the possible endings are still able to be considered, for example manufac*, fabricat*. Here is the list: Production; Manufacture; Fabrication; Specifications; Rubble; Remnants; Fragments; Waste; Residue; Masonry; Blocks; Construction; Structural.” 

The second output list was somewhat better with Produc*, Manufac*, Fabricat*, Specificat*, Rubbl*, ect. While this final task doesn’t provide perfect results, the option is present and may be useful with some extra prompting (Pavlovski, 2024).  

Coming up with a list of keyword search terms or synonyms for keywords and summarizing text can be stressful and frustrating. ChatGPT users who apply Pavlovski’s suggestions when creating prompts and use the chatbot as a research tool may experience an academic library research process that is less stressful and more productive.  

Reference: 

Pavlovski, N. (2024, February 19). ChatGPT as a Tool for Library Research – Some Notes and Suggestions [Review of ChatGPT as a Tool for Library Research – Some Notes and Suggestions]. LibTech Insights. https://www.choice360.org/libtech-insight/chatgpt-as-a-tool-for-library-research-some-notes-and-suggestions/‌ 

 (Pavlovski, 2024) 

Library Anxiety in Academic Students: Part 2

Last week we read about library anxiety and how it can affect student experiences in the academic library. This week we look at research anxiety, another stressor affecting academic students, and the role it can play in student retention. I also present suggested activities that may relieve anxieties associated with academic libraries and improve student experiences.  

Library anxiety can be addressed by taking steps to ensure the academic librarian can be identified, students experience beneficial interactions with the librarian, and view them as part of the faculty. So, what is research anxiety and how can academic librarians address that? According to Emily Henderson, research anxiety, which may be tied to library anxiety, is a fairly new concept that needs more studying, however; research anxiety does seem to be negatively impacting student retention in STEM fields. Emily explains that research anxiety is the experience of negative and stressful feelings towards scientific research, a skill, students working to achieve a STEM degree are often expected to possess. If students, who are studying a STEM field enter academic institutions lacking the foundational research skills they are expected to have, they will likely feel overwhelmed, incompetent, and disheartened; causing them to change their field of study or drop out of school altogether. Henderson explains that steps taken to alleviate library anxiety are not sufficient for relieving research anxiety. She feels academic library staff might be the most qualified to combat research anxiety by providing instruction, tools, and resources that support beneficial research methods (Henderson, 2023). 

Henderson feels librarians can improve student self-confidence and alleviate research anxiety through “…information literacy instruction, research coaching, and individualized consultations with students.” Emily goes on to explain that information literacy instruction embedded into STEM courses and the curricula allows students to learn and apply skills through a course in the classroom rather than having to seek help on their own outside the classroom. By embedding information literacy skills in STEM coursework, students also learn the importance of these skills and how they are tied to their STEM career field (Henderson, 2023). 

Since there may not be a single method that will reduce research anxiety students experience, Henderson also suggests librarians offer stand-alone information literacy courses. Such courses provide students an opportunity to learn about and become familiar with implementing information literacy skills. The drawback to this idea is that students must make the move to sign up for and attend the course on a regular basis which may be difficult for anyone already experiencing anxieties associated with the library (Henderson, 2023). 

Finally, Henderson suggests academic librarians create a research coaching program. Such a program may not only alleviate or reduce library anxieties, but also increases the chance for students to be successful in meeting academic expectations. Research appointments not only enhance information literacy skills, but also opens a door for collaboration and relationship building among students and library staff. If students are paired with a personal librarian, they are more likely to turn to that person in times of stress and ask for assistance more readily (Henderson, 2023).  

Now you might be thinking, we are a small library. We don’t have the staff to provide personal research coaching or stand-alone information literacy courses. Is it possible for you to work with faculty in the STEM fields and embed information literacy skills in the curriculum? Can you work with other groups on campus and host an event with food and focus on one or two information literacy skills per event? Can you recruit junior or senior students to be a personal research coach? Is there a way personal research coaches could earn credit or be awarded in some way? These are just ideas I’m throwing out. I don’t have any experience in applying them, evidence if they work, or if they can be implemented, but perhaps they can be used as a starting point to implement something tailored to your library and its staff.  

I begin to close this article with a quote from Emily Henderson.  

“Ultimately, I think that every student’s journey to alleviating their own anxiety will be deeply personal and individualized. But we as librarians need to be aware that anxieties, including  research anxiety, are likely to play a significant role in students’ academic success, and therefore provide students with tools and resources that specifically target their anxieties and that they can use in ways to best empower them. We need to create, implement, and assess programs with the goal of alleviating anxieties, not solely increasing knowledge, so that students pursuing STEM degrees can face any new problem in front of them and, instead of contemplating switching courses, have the confidence in themselves to keep trying and moving towards their goal.”  

I leave you with these questions. Can the academic library be the key to student retention in STEM fields but also student retention in the academic institutions as a whole? If so, what if anything, can be done in my institution that moves towards reducing or alleviating anxieties associated with the academic libraries? How can other academic stakeholders play a role in joining the movement to relieve such anxieties?  

Reference 

Henderson, E. (2023). Opportunities for libraries to address research anxiety in undergraduate students in STEM fields. Insights the UKSG Journal, 36. https://doi.org/10.1629/uksg.626  

Library Anxiety in Academic Students

What is library anxiety? Does library anxiety affect student use of an academic library? Can library anxiety play a role in student retention? I researched to find answers to these questions and will summarize my findings over the next two Flickertale issues.  

First, what is library anxiety? In 1986, Constance A. Mellon performed a study with six thousand students at a southern university on how they felt about using an academic library to do research for the first time. Over a two-year period, twenty English instructors had their beginning composition students keep personal search journals. Students were expected to document their search experiences and how they felt about the experience. As a culmination activity, students wrote an essay commenting on four questions.  

1. What were your experiences using the library to find information for your research paper? 
2. How did you feel about the library and your ability to use it? 
3. Did these feelings change over the course of the semester? 
4. How do you feel about using the library now? 

After collecting and reviewing data over several semesters, study results showed 75-85 percent of students in each class described their first response to the library using terms such as fear or anxiety. Other terms consistently used were scary, overpowering, lost, helpless, confused, and fear of the unknown. Students expressed feeling lost due to the size of a library as well as lost in how and where to begin the research process (Mellon, 2015).  

The Mellon study results were expected to provide a guide for composition faculty as they integrated search strategies and tools within a fifty-minute class period. However, because students were more anxious about being in and using the library itself rather than the research process, their fears actually got in the way of productively using the library. These feelings were similar to those of math and test anxiety that were being studied at the time. At this point, it seemed clear that the fears students experienced, could be labeled as library anxiety (Mellon, 2015). 

After Mellon identified library anxiety being present in academic student’s library experiences, researchers began looking at other library related anxieties such as research anxiety, information literacy anxiety, library technophobia, and computer anxiety. Researchers expanded studies to include library experiences in freshmen, nontraditional, and international students (Sample, 2020).  

While Mellon’s 1986 study identified four main causes of library anxiety as being, 1) size of the library; 2) lack of knowledge where materials are located; 3) how to begin a project, and 4) what to do, study results have since showed researchers that there are other anxiety triggers as well (Sample, 2020).  

How students perceive academic librarians’ motivations and behaviors influence student library experiences. In one study, accessibility and approachability of library staff was a determinant of whether academic students asked a librarian for help. While some students didn’t ask for help because they couldn’t identify the librarian or library staff, student perceptions of a librarian may play a role in a student’s ability to identify them. Examples of how students perceive librarians include ‘older’, ‘quieter’, ‘official looking’, or ‘female and wearing glasses’. Students also commented that they didn’t ask for assistance because the librarian ‘looked too busy’ or too involved in what they were doing.  Individuals who did ask for help in the library identified the librarian as anyone behind the reference or circulation desk. Librarians who smiled and wore nametags were more ‘approachable’ than individuals not having nametags. Clothes also played a role in considering approachability of a librarian. Those who wore blue shirts were viewed as more approachable than those wearing white or red shirts (Fagan et al., 2020). This sounds like a fantastic reason for librarians to revamp their closets!  

Student perceptions of academic librarians’ knowledge and skills was also found to be an influencer in student library experiences. Studies conducted over several decades spanning from 1977 through 2019, found that students know very little about the various facets of the academic librarian profession which affects the role they see librarians playing in the institution’s setting. In a 1977 survey of 362 full-time students in a large institution, students viewed academic librarians as ‘trained’ or ‘skilled’ and found it difficult to differentiate between a librarian and library staff. In a 2003 survey of 94 students at a large 4-year university, 68 percent of the students thought a bachelor’s degree was necessary for an academic librarian, 22 percent thought a high school degree was sufficient, while only 10% knew the profession required a master’s degree. Fewer than half of the ninety-four students viewed the academic librarian as faculty. Surveys conducted in 2011, 2014, and 2019 found student views shifting. Students began viewing academic librarians as someone who could teach them how to use a library resource, narrow search results, or identify the best search tools. In a 2014 survey of 47 graduate and undergraduate students conducted in eleven on-line courses with an embedded librarian, 46 percent of the students felt their search abilities ‘greatly improved’ and 39 percent thought their skills ‘improved’. In 2019 a survey of 235 undergraduate and graduate students, 48 percent stated the main reason they asked a librarian for help was “to learn how to use a library resource’, 46 percent asked for help to locate books, and 33 percent asked for assistance in finding an article. Students also commented that the main reason for not asking an academic librarian for assistance was because the student wanted to figure things out on their own (Fagan et al., 2020).  

The most encouraging signs of how library anxiety can be relieved seems to be through the academic librarian performing duties in an active teaching role. Surveys conducted in 2001 and 2010 found students explaining the main duties of an academic librarian were to point patrons to resources, be caretakers of books, act as reference assistants, and policy enforcers. In other 2010 information, 66% percent of students viewed academic librarians as teachers immediately before having an interaction with a librarian, while 80 percent viewed them as teachers immediately after an interaction. In a 2013 survey of undergraduate and graduate students from a large, 4-year institution who had participated in a consultation with academic librarians, were asked ‘What kinds of things did the librarian try to help you with’, almost 74 percent said ‘selecting and recommending resources’ and slightly over 33 percent said ‘taught them how to search’. Other student responses included statements such as the librarian clarified topics, helped them understand assignments, and developed search strategies. Students found that face-to-face interactions were more valuable than email or chat options because they could watch the librarian’s search process and experience interactive collaboration. Students who have interactions with an academic librarian in an instructional role may positively influence student perceptions of the academic librarian. Studies have also found students experience less library anxiety, are more likely to ask for assistance, and view the academic librarian as a teacher if the librarian had previously visited the classroom (Fagan et al., 2020).  

We have read what library anxiety is and how it may affect academic students’ library experiences. Next week’s article focuses on whether library anxiety plays a role in student retention, and offers a few suggestions academic librarians may implement to alleviate library anxiety students experience. 

References 

Fagan, J. C., Ostermiller, H., Price, E., & Sapp, L. (2020). Librarian, faculty, and student perceptions of academic librarians: Study introduction and literature review. New Review of Academic Librarianship, 27(1), 38–75. https://doi.org/10.1080/13614533.2019.1691026  

Mellon, C. A. (2015). Library anxiety: A grounded theory and its development. College & Research Libraries, 76(3), 276–282. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.76.3.276  

Sample, A. (2020). Using augmented and virtual reality in information literacy instruction to reduce library anxiety in nontraditional and international students. Information Technology and Libraries, 39(1). https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v39i1.11723