Teaching in the AI Era: Faculty Perspectives and Institutional Implications. Findings from University-Wide Survey.

Description

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly integrated into higher education, understanding teachers' attitudes and support needs is critical for informed institutional strategies. This study, framed within research of pedagogical change, examined university teachers' experiences and perceptions of AI in teaching at an Icelandic university. A survey was distributed to 2,003 faculty members, including sessional staff, with 79 items on a six-point Likert scale and open-ended questions. The response rate was 27% (33% among tenure-track faculty).

Findings indicate that most respondents hold positive attitudes toward AI and view it as potentially useful in academic contexts. Teachers most often reported using generative AI to generate ideas for assignments and assist with course organization, while less frequently for designing full courses, creating content, writing exams, or grading. Some also used AI for rubrics, programming, data analysis, summaries, and translation.

Ethical concerns were prominent, including misuse by students, irresponsible reliance, and data security risks. Respondents also noted worries about bias, inaccuracy, and the reliability of AI-generated content, alongside their own limited knowledge of AI tools. Teachers were most familiar with ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot.

Over half expressed interest in professional development opportunities such as workshops on AI integration and how to guide students in responsible use. Recommended support included institutional guidelines, free access to software, instructional resources, online forums, and allocated time for teaching development. Findings highlight the need for universities to address teachers’ concerns and provide clear guidance, resources, and training to enable effective and ethical AI integration into pedagogy in higher education.

Period	26 Jun 2026
Event title	ICED26 Conference Agency and Academic Development Salamanca
Event type	Conference
Location	Salamanca, SpainShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International