Description
A recent YouGov survey found 74% of British undergraduate students used AI tools during their degree (YouGov, 2025), while the Student Generative AI Survey 2025 published by the Higher Education Policy Institute finds 92% of British undergraduate students used AI tools overall and 88% of students for assessments. However, universities remain on the back foot, attempting to develop AI policies, while caught between staff anxieties and the reality of widespread AI use. Meanwhile much of the pedagogical literature focuses on academic concerns about the negative impacts of AI use on academic integrity and students’ capacity to develop their knowledge and critical thinking skills. These efforts are hindered by a lack of in-depth analysis of students’ understanding of GenAI and its use in higher education and an exploration of the relationship between Staff and Student perceptions of the role of AI. Where this work has taken place it has used large-scale surveys which give a broad snapshot of student views and understandings (Study.com, 2023) rather than providing in-depth exploration or the opportunity for staff and students to reflect on their views (it has also generally excluded Postgraduate students). This paper uses focus groups to give undergraduate and postgraduate students the opportunity to discuss and reflect on their views on AI use together. It will therefore explore students’ engagement with and understanding of AI, their perceptions of potential risks and/or opportunities, their normative views, perceptions of Staff responses to and understandings of student AI use, and expectations for universities. Most importantly, it acknowledges and explores the heterogeneity of student communities and their relationship with AI technology. This paper makes numerous original and significant contributions to the emerging pedagogical literature on the role of AI in higher education while potentially generating real impact in terms of informing universities’ AI policies.
