TEACHERS' ATTITUDES AND PERCEPTIONS OF THE USEFULNESS OF AI IN ACADEMIA. HOW SHOULD UNIVERSITIES RESPOND TO A CHANGING EDUCATIONAL LANDSCAPE? Preliminary study on the attitudes and experiences of teachers at the University of Iceland

Description

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming higher education, yet little is known about how teachers perceive and use these tools. Understanding educators' experiences and needs is crucial for universities developing AI policies and support systems. This pilot study examines how teachers at a large university in Iceland experience and perceive AI in their teaching practice, their attitudes toward student AI use, and their support needs in this evolving educational landscape.
A survey was distributed via SurveyMonkey to 2,007 university teachers (including sessional staff). It comprised 79 Likert-scale items and six open-ended questions. Of those invited, 282 teachers have participated to date.
Preliminary findings suggest that the majority hold a generally positive attitude toward AI and perceive it as potentially useful in academic contexts. Teachers primarily use AI for two tasks: generating assignment ideas and organizing courses. They rarely use AI for more complex pedagogical tasks such as full course design, content development, exam writing, or grading. Additional uses include creating rubrics, programming support, data analysis, summarization, and translation.
Despite interest in AI integration, teachers expressed three main categories of concern: (1) Ethical issues, particularly student misuse and over-reliance on AI; (2) Data security, including fears about shared content becoming public; and (3) Content quality, such as potential bias, inaccuracy, or unreliability in AI-generated materials.
Many teachers highlighted their limited knowledge of AI tools and called for greater institutional support. They were the most familiar with ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, and nearly half reported having a personal subscription to AI tools. More than half of the respondents expressed interest in participating in professional development opportunities such as workshops focused on AI integration in teaching, including how to guide students in responsible AI use.
Teachers identified six key institutional supports needed: (1) dedicated AI support staff; (2) paid software subscriptions; (3) curated instructional resources and videos; (4) online forums for sharing strategies; (5) clear university AI policies; and (6) allocated time for teaching development.
This study reveals a critical gap between teachers' cautious optimism about AI and their preparedness to use it effectively. The findings highlight an urgent need for universities to move beyond ad-hoc approaches and develop comprehensive AI support frameworks. Universities that fail to address these needs risk leaving both teachers and students unprepared for an AI-driven educational future.
Our hope is that sharing the content and structure of the survey, as well as the final results of the study, will be useful to other university educators.

Period	11 Nov 2025
Event title	ICERI 2025, 18th annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation: Sevilla, Spain - November 10 - 12, 2025
Event type	Conference
Location	Sevilla, SpainShow on map