"Exploring Learners' Perceptions of an AI Tool: ChatGPT".

 Abstract:

• ChatGPT has generated excitement and skepticism in education. 
• Understanding how students perceive ChatGPT and assessing its potential and challenges is critical to analyzing its impact on teaching and learning. Toward this, we conducted a two-stage study with senior students in a computer engineering program (n=46). In the first phase, we asked students to evaluate ChatGPT using their own words when they used it to complete a learning activity.
• The returned responses (2478 words) were analyzed by coding and theme building. We used the derived codes and themes in the second stage to create a 37-item questionnaire. Students answered the questionnaire three weeks later after completing other activities with the help of AI tools. We explored students' perceptions of AI-TOOLS like ChatGPT.
• Results show that students appreciate the capabilities of ChatGPT and find it interesting, motivating, and helpful for study and work. 
• They find it easy to use and appreciate its human-like interface that provides well-structured answers and good explanations. However, many students feel that ChatGPT answers are not always correct and most of them believe that it requires good background knowledge to work with it as it is not a substitute for human intelligence. would take Therefore, most of the students feel that ChatGPT needs improvement but they are optimistic that it will be done soon. When it comes to the negative impact of ChatGPT on learning, academic integrity, job, and life, the students are divided. 
• We conclude that ChatGPT can and should be used for learning. However, educators should try to use ChatGPT and guide students in effective motivational techniques and to gauge the responses generated. 
• Developers should improve their models to increase the accuracy of the answers provided.
• This study provides insight into the potential and limitations of ChatGPT in education and informs future research and development on various topics of plagiarism-free data.