This study examines the gradual integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into product design workshops at the & Eacute;cole sup & eacute;rieure des sciences et technologies du design (ESSTED) [Higher School of Design Sciences and Technologies] in Tunisia. Using a mixed-method approach combining questionnaires and non-participant observations of project presentations, the study analyzes how AI is used across the different phases of the design process. The results indicate the use of AI predominantly in project research, analysis, and structuring phases, accompanied by a more limited and often implicit use during the ideation and prototyping phases. This trend is accompanied by a decline in traditional manual practices, particularly sketching. While AI is perceived as a means of improving project efficiency and consistency, significant cognitive, ethical, and pedagogical concerns have nevertheless been reported by both students and teachers. The study's findings highlight the need for a structured pedagogical framework to facilitate the responsible and contextualized integration of AI, to strike a balance between technological innovation and the preservation of fundamental design skills.
This research explores the impact of a YouTube video creation project on undergraduate students' engagement in lectures. Rooted in the literature on active learning, the use of video, and student engagement, the article presents an exploratory study using a questionnaire completed by 92 students to measure their perceptions, satisfaction, and behavioural, emotional, and cognitive engagement. The results show that the video project fosters significant behavioural and emotional engagement and is perceived in a positive light by students, who see it, in particular, as a way of playing an active role in their own learning.
As an outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic, distance learning has secured a permanent place in many higher education institutions, where it takes various forms: asynchronous, synchronous, hybrid, or hyflex. But how can we ensure that the courses offered provide a high-quality learning experience, especially in the case of asynchronous courses, which come with their own specific challenges? This pedagogical reflection aims to examine the criteria that may impact the quality of the learning experience in asynchronous online university courses, such as those offered by a Canadian higher education institution that has been dedicated to distance learning for over fifty years. It begins with a literature review on the themes of distance education quality and quality criteria in order to identify standards guiding the design and delivery of asynchronous courses. Next, a multidisciplinary team involved in asynchronous online courses design reviewed a preliminary list of criteria to discuss its relevance and to develop it further. Ultimately, this pedagogical reflection led to the development of a resource providing a theoretical foundation for ongoing reflection by practitioners interested in the quality of asynchronous online courses in higher education.
Using a design-based research approach, we tested an audio broadcasting system using headphones in a lecture setting with six students, focusing on (i) their experience; (ii) their concentration; and (iii) their acceptance of the system ("actual use"). The method combined six direct observations (90 min. each) and six semi-structured interviews (20 min. each). The results indicate an individually positive, but socially negative experience, associated with a tendency toward non-use. We analyze these findings and, in conclusion, discuss avenues for improving the system as well as the broader relevance of our approach beyond the present study.
This study aimed to assess medical students' satisfaction with virtual education in Iran during the post-pandemic period. An online survey was conducted, involving 411 students (51.6% male; mean age: 22.7 +/- 3 years) from 41 universities. The median proportion of education delivered via e-learning was 10%, with an interquartile range (IQR) of 5-20%. Students reported a median of two hours per week dedicated to e-learning (IQR: 1-7 hours). The average satisfaction score was 12.3 out of 20 (CI 95%: 11.9-12.7), with no significant differences observed based on gender, educational stage, or the region of the medical university.
The informal use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) appears to be transforming the learning experience of Moroccan students, underscoring the need to analyze their behaviour in order to assess the impact of this technology on their academic performance. Holec's (1981) reflections on learner autonomy, further developed by Benson (2013), provide the theoretical framework for this study, which seeks to examine how GenAI contributes to the learning of French as a foreign language (FFL) in a hybrid learning context. To this end, a mixed-methods research design was implemented with students from the Faculty of Science of Rabat (FSR). The findings indicate that GenAI, which is widely integrated into students' practices, supports the co-construction of linguistic competencies, and fosters the development of autonomy, critical thinking, and ethical awareness* among many learners who engage with the technology in a reflective manner.
This contribution aims to present the different stages of a design thinking methodological approach (Brown, 2009), which consists in training and using the ChatGPT generative AI model to analyze the content of a course's resources; extract and analyze the types of licenses used and the degrees of accessibility and openness of the resources; and assist in the process of transforming them into open educational resources. By focusing on this AI-assisted research method, we aspire to make it easier for educators and content developers to transform standard educational materials into open educational resources and present a practical case of generative AI orchestration, thus enriching digital education with AI.
Current initiatives to include ethics in artificial intelligence (AI) technical curricula are slow to bear fruit. This paper discusses several key challenges that undermine these pedagogical efforts to include ethics, namely the confusion around the meaning of AI ethics, a tendency to prioritize technical over social perspectives, and a lack of solid educational grounding. These challenges are further explored using humanities-based perspectives. Finally, potential answers based on the paradigm of complexity and the ethics of care are suggested in response to the identified pitfalls.
This paper reports on a study involving 523 undergraduate and master's students in Education and Training Sciences in France. It aims to identify how these future education professionals use and perceive conversational robots. The method used was a questionnaire based on attitude scales (literacy, perceived usefulness, intention) and semi-structured interviews. The results show a poor understanding of how CRs work, although the students use them routinely and in a variety of ways in both private and academic settings. They are developing strategies that they believe enable them to be more efficient when reviewing and more effective in their academic work. These initial results pave the way for further research into how these new tools can be effectively integrated into higher education, particularly among future education professionals.
This study investigates the adoption and use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) among students in higher education (N = 756). Drawing on a mixed-methods approach, the research reveals significant disparities in GenAI uptake, influenced by field of study, gender, and academic pathway. The study also highlights the perceived benefits of GenAI, notably its capacity to support personalized learning and enhance study organization. However, it also raises ethical concerns and notes the risk of cognitive overreliance. The findings underscore the need for targeted strategies to ensure a balanced, inclusive, and responsible integration of GenAI within higher education institutions.
This study aims to explore the adoption of five AI use cases among postsecondary teachers: success prediction, feedback, plagiarism detection, course material creation, and assessment. Teachers (n = 127) scored their opinions on factors of attitude, performance expectancy, perceived ease of use and anxiety, along with AI literacy factors (technical knowledge, pedagogical use, and ethics). Structural equations models were estimated to analyze the intention to use. Results show that a higher level of technical knowledge is associated with lower performance expectations.
This paper presents three innovative approaches to integrating AI (ChatGPT and Transkribus), employed by faculty members within a single university across three distinct disciplines: orthodidactics (education), psychology, and history. The objective of these initiatives was to leverage technology to enhance teaching and stimulate student learning. The paper first contextualizes the necessity of integrating AI into higher education curriculum, and more specifically in these disciplines. Then classroom activities are presented and broken down into steps. At the end of each report, a feedback section details the results obtained, their impact and recommendations for teachers wishing to integrate AI into that discipline. The paper concludes with practical advice for educators looking to incorporate AI into their teaching practice.
Using Clarke and Hollingsworth's (2002) model, this research studied the professional development trajectories of teachers who had developed learning scenarios involving virtual reality simulation in sciences in higher education. Our results, obtained by analyzing individual interviews, show that the participating teachers underwent changes with respect to learning scenario development and active learning, prompted in particular by their interactions with the resource people around them and their access to student feedback. This sheds some light on the conditions needed to foster teachers' professional development.
The growing number of adult learners returning to education (ARE) presents new challenges for academic support services. These learners often report difficulties linked to their personal circumstances, generational gaps with younger students, and insecurity about using digital tools. This study investigates how digital self-efficacy influences engagement and academic success among ARE, compared to first-generation students (FGS). Findings show that while FGS exhibit more pronounced digital weaknesses, ARE face a more restrictive learning environment. These insights call for differentiated support strategies that take into account actual skills, learner perceptions, and the overall learning contexts to promote equitable digital inclusion.
In the context of blended university teaching and learning, face-to-face interactions have seen a significant decline due to factors such as the lecture attendance crisis and the rise of online and blended courses. However, understanding the characteristics, constraints and benefits of face-toface interactions remains a blind spot in research on blended teaching and learning. To fully leverage the potential of blended teaching and learning, it is necessary to thoroughly analyze the role of face-to-face sessions and how they integrate with both synchronous and asynchronous activities.
The escalating emergence of innovative learning spaces (ILS) in universities raises questions about how these spaces are actually used. This study presents the results of analyses of teaching practices and use of the potential offered by the physical/material environment. Twenty-six class sessions were observed, providing 2,942 minutes of video recording, and teachers were interviewed. In terms of frequency of occurrence and time spent, the frequency, temporal and sequential analyses carried out show that situations involving practical student activity predominate. The collaborative, student-centered and varied nature of the activities is clear. Use of the flexibility-modularity potential in relation to learning activities was observed to be strategic and adapted. However, the technological potential remains under-exploited and less likely to be perceived as relevant by teachers. The study also presents the main advantages and limitations of ILS from the teachers' point of view.
Since being introduced into higher education in the 1960s, distance learning (DL) has evolved considerably, making learner engagement in online learning environments a major challenge for instructional designers. This article aims to examine the extent to which support for collaborative distance learning can foster an autotelic experience for students, now recognized as a predictor of academic persistence. The methodology is based on a questionnaire survey conducted with 88 students and 4 teacher-designers across four online courses. These were either asynchronous or synchronous and delivered via platforms with or without collaborative tools. The results indicate that the collaborative features of asynchronous training are perceived to offer a level of facilitation and support equivalent to that of synchronous training. Furthermore, learning facilitation and support appear to enhance students' sense of well-being. The survey also revealed differences in perception between teachers and students, suggesting the importance of gaining a better understanding of learning scenario uptake.
