Exploring student perspectives on AI in higher education: A multidisciplinary analysis

This chapter explores the perspectives of artificial intelligence (AI) among higher education students across various academic disciplines. It underscores the importance of examining disciplinary differences to understand how students’ academic interests and curriculum demands shape their engagement with and attitudes toward AI technologies. This insight is crucial for the tailored development of AI applications and pedagogical strategies that meet the specific needs of different fields. Participants included students from 12 courses within undergraduate and professional development programmes across three distinct disciplines: Language, Information and Communication Technology, and Aesthetics and Kinetics. From these groups, 186 pre- and post-intervention responses were collected. A comprehensive questionnaire, informed by Yoon's (2019) framework, was employed to assess students’ perspectives and attitudes towards AI in education. In addition, qualitative data from focus group interviews were collected to gain deeper insights into students’ perceptions and experiences of AI integration in their learning. Analysis of the data revealed a uniformity in positive perspectives of AI across disciplines but also indicated that the current implementation of AI tools may not adequately cater to the unique educational needs of each discipline. The study indicates that AI's potential to improve educational outcomes is not realized automatically, especially in areas requiring personalized learning, where significant gaps in pedagogical support exist. The chapter argues that the effectiveness of AI in education crucially depends on the careful design and implementation of AI-driven pedagogies tailored to specific educational objectives and integrated seamlessly into educational frameworks. The findings highlight the need for ongoing research into adaptive AI solutions that meet the diverse needs of various academic disciplines, thereby enhancing the overall learning experience. Copyright © 2025 The Editors and Contributing Authors Severally. All rights reserved.