AI Among Students in Germany and Austria: A Closer Look
Regular Poll: 25% of Students Routinely Employ Artificial Intelligence Daily - Daily AI Usage by Students: About a Quarter of Students Routine-ly Employ Artificial Intelligence
AI is a growing presence among students in Germany and Austria, with considerable variations across fields of study.
Intriguingly, Mechatronics students lead the pack, with over 75% of them utilizing AI daily. Nevertheless, only around half of students in Civil and Environmental Engineering are regular AI users.
AI use is primarily concentrated in general research and translations. While 60% of Mechatronics students engage in AI-assisted research at least once a week, the figure drops to a third for German Studies students.
AI may not be a formidable "ghostwriter" in the realm of creating texts or literature for students, as study author Marc Hüsch from the CHE suggested. Interestingly, a third of the students surveyed have never employed AI for text creation.
The respondents, on the whole, expressed dissatisfaction with the AI competency offerings at their universities, assigning an average rating of 2.7 out of 5 stars.
Hüsch insists that universities should prioritize equipping all students with AI competencies to take advantage of its potential, stating, "Universities should ensure that all students can equally benefit from the application possibilities of AI through comprehensive offerings for acquiring AI competencies."
The CHE polled 23,288 students from German and Austrian universities in the winter semester 2024/2025.
- Artificial Intelligence
- Students
- Survey
- CHE
- Guetersloh
- Center for Higher Education Development
While specific data regarding AI competency offerings from CHE surveys might be hard to find, it's worth noting that there's a growing emphasis worldwide on integrating AI into educational curricula. This includes topics like AI fundamentals, ethical considerations, and practical applications across various disciplines.
Many German and Austrian universities have AI-focused courses and programs, incorporating both theoretical and practical aspects of AI. Additionally, both countries have active research communities in AI, collaborating internationally on various AI projects.
Evaluating AI competency usually involves assessing curriculum content, teaching methods, and the integration of AI in academic programs. Students' perceptions can vary based on these factors, as well as the availability of resources and practical opportunities.
To access detailed information on AI competency ratings, it would be ideal to refer to specific CHE surveys or reports that focus on this aspect.
- To address the growing concerns about AI competency, universities should consider implementing vocational training programs that focus on AI fundamentals, ethical considerations, and practical applications, as it's a worldwide trend to integrate AI into educational curricula.
- While Mechatronics students lead in AI usage due to its prevalence in their field, students in other disciplines like German Studies are less likely to use AI-assisted research, suggesting a need for more tailored AI education and self-development opportunities across various academic fields.
