“How did we live without it before?” A case study on student usage of generative artificial intelligence to support group work activities in higher education

Abstract

Purpose: This study was aimed to better understand how higher education students use generative artificial intelligence in group work activities and what role it can have in those activities. Theory: Engeström’s second generation Activity theory was used as the theoretical framework to interpret and analyse the findings. Method: This study followed a master programme’s course over time with a case study approach. The data was collected through self-administered reflective group discussion at three different occasions during the course. Results: The findings showcased high levels of generative artificial intelligence tool usage in group activities by the students. Furthermore, their activities had started to transform together with their use of these tools. The students utilized them for task delegation within the group, and these tools also allowed the student groups to shift their attention and time to activities deemed more important or interesting. The findings also indicate that generative artificial intelligence tools could potentially take the role as an additional group member or as a guide, supporting the group work in diverse ways. Another insight of the results was that the students deemed the custom-trained CourseGuru highly effective since it could provide better support than general chatbots. Overall, the students viewed generative artificial intelligence tools as essential to their studies and expected these tools to play a central role in the future of higher education.