This paper provides a fresh analysis of data from a recent faculty-based pilot study of an AI Digital Assistant (AIDA). It reveals insights into student attitudes towards AI as they commence their university study, showing that whilst a third of new undergraduate students at The Open University (UK) come with no experience of using GenAI, they do, like others, bring expectations and understandings regarding the technology. The ubiquity of generative AI (GenAI) means that universities are no long
Before the First Prompt: Understanding Students’ Pre‑Use Perceptions of an AI Digital Assistant in Higher Education
Chris Edwards·Thomas Ullmann·Felipe Tessarolo·Emily Coughlan·Christothea Herodotou·Duygu Bektik·Denise Whitelock
