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Software applications such as ChatGPT, ResearchRabbit and GitHub Copilot, which utilise generative artificial intelligence, are increasingly being used by both lecturers and students. Universities are currently wavering between euphoria and alarmism. However, there is still a widespread lack of empirical evidence on which to base strategic decisions. An analysis of a survey conducted at the HSRW on the use and perception of AI is currently underway, which is intended to contribute to establishing such an empirical basis.
The KIC study aims to fill several gaps in research. It provides a detailed account of the current use and perception of AI tools by both teaching staff and students at HSRW, a university with a strong international focus, with 70 per cent of its Degree programmes taught in English. The survey was conducted in July 2024 and was therefore able to cover a wide range of AI tools specifically designed to meet the needs of lecturers and students. It was carried out on a pseudonymised basis, so that respondents’ answers can be linked to socio-demographic data in a partially aggregated form, in compliance with data protection regulations. The research is guided by a technology acceptance model that enables the influence of factors such as usefulness or the impact of social expectations on the use of AI to be assessed.
An analysis of the data was published in 2025 under the title ‘AI on Campus: From Empiricism to Strategy’ in an anthology on ‘Learning Analytics, Artificial Intelligence and Data Mining in Higher Education’, edited by Robert Queckenberg, Jonas Leschke and Malte Persike. The volume can be downloaded free of charge as a PDF here. A follow-up survey is planned, as is an extension of the study to other universities.