Exploring the Potential Impact of Generative AI in Education – A reflective analysis from nine IT courses

Abstract

The increasing use of digital teaching and emerging technologies, particularly AI-based tools, such as ChatGPT, is presenting an inevitable and significant impact on higher education. The capability of processing and generating text could bring change to several areas, such as learning assessments or learning experiences. Besides the negative impact, i.e exam cheating, we also see a positive side that ChatGPT can bring to education. This research article aims to contribute to the current debate on ChatGPT by systematic reflection and experience reported from nine bachelor IT courses at a Norwegian university. We conducted inductive empirical research with reflective notes and focused groups of lecturers from nine different IT courses. The findings were thematically organized with numerous use cases in teaching IT subjects. Our discussion highlights the disruptive implications of AI assistant usage in higher education and emphasizes the need for educators to shape this transformation.