“PERCEPTIONS OF FINAL-YEAR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS REGARDING AI TOOLS FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION”

Abstract

This study explores the perceptions of final-year university students regarding the role of Artificial intelligence (AI) tools in achieving academic excellence in higher education. The research was conducted in Punjab, Pakistan, which hosts the country’s largest concentration of universities. Using a multistage sampling technique, 375 students were selected from different academic disciplines and institutional types, ensuring representativeness. Data were collected through a structured and validated questionnaire adapted from Almaraz-López, Almaraz-Menéndez, and López-Esteban (2023), with reliability confirmed by a Cronbach’s alpha 0.867. Analysis was performed using SPSS, applying descriptive statistics to summarize responses and inferential tests (t-test and ANOVA) to identify differences across gender and disciplines. Findings indicate that while students broadly recognize AI as a facilitator of academic excellence, perceptions vary significantly across disciplines, with engineering and technology students reporting more favorable attitudes compared to those in arts and education. These results suggest that disciplinary context shapes the way AI is perceived in higher education. The study contributes to global and local debates on AI integration, highlighting the need for capacity-building initiatives and equitable access to AI tools. It also identifies a research gap in preparing students across diverse disciplines for effective engagement with AI in academic settings.