An international survey of university lecturers conducted as part of the Erasmus+ project reveals current changes in the higher education environment. The survey included 453 academic staff representatives from 61 higher education institutions in more than 20 countries, providing a broad insight into the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the study process. The survey results show that AI is today's reality, and ensuring meaningful and ethical use of AI is on the universitys' agenda.

The results show that AI is already widely integrated into academic work - more than half of respondents use it at least once a week, and 28% use it every day. AI is most often used for practical tasks - for translation, preparation of teaching materials, improvement of texts, and creation of presentations. The most significant benefit of using AI from the perspective of lecturers is time saving, which is indicated by almost 80% of respondents. AI also helps to improve the quality of teaching materials, promotes creativity and innovation, and increases efficiency in administrative work.

However, along with the benefits, serious challenges also emerge. 83% of respondents indicate the risk of students' critical thinking being diminished, while more than 60% indicate a threat to academic integrity. Almost 60% of academic staff have already encountered cases where students submit AI-generated papers without understanding or reference to the AI ​​resources used in their preparation, which significantly affects the assessment of student results.

The survey also reveals a significant gap between institutional solutions and the real situation in classrooms. While 43% of respondents indicate that their universities have developed guidelines for the use of AI, 38% are not sure about their existence, and many also emphasize that support from the university and training on the use of AI in the study process are insufficient or irregular. This indicates that universities need to work seriously on educating their lecturers and supporting them with technical support.

“One of the myths about AI in higher education is that the functions of a teacher could increasingly be replaced by AI and learning in a digital environment. In reality, the role of a teacher is changing under the influence of AI - our task as teaching staff is not only to ensure a structured and sequential transfer of knowledge, but to an increasing extent to be a leader of the study process, a support for the student, a mentor in their overall growth. The assessment of the results of the study process is also clearly changing. Today, a teacher must be able to integrate diverse methods and forms of assessing student knowledge and skills to obtain a comprehensive and realistic assessment,” says project expert, Vice-Rector for Studies and Academic Work of the Business School “Turība”, Associate Professor Evija Kļave.

Looking to the future, 74% of respondents expect that AI will significantly change teaching practice in the next five years. This means not only the integration of technologies, but also significant changes in pedagogical work - more interactive learning, personalized study solutions, and new approaches to assessment.

The results of the study clearly show that the main challenge is no longer the availability of technologies, but the ability to use them meaningfully, ethically, and critically.

The survey was conducted within the framework of the Erasmus+ cooperation project EHEAII – “AI in Higher Education”, which aims to develop solutions for the meaningful use of artificial intelligence in higher education. 453 academic staff representatives from 61 higher education institutions in more than 20 countries participated in the survey.

The project is funded by the European Union’s ERASMUS+ programme. More about the project: http://www.eheaii.eu