Graduate Students' Perceptions of AI Integration in Academic Essay Writing: A Case Study of UAE Higher Education Institutions

• In Event: Artificial intellegence in education: impacts, challenges, and perspectives across global contexts

Proposal

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in academic essay writing signifies a transformative advancement in educational methodologies, with AI and academic writing mutually influencing and enhancing one another. This study examines graduate students' perceptions of AI tools in academic essay writing through a case study methodology. The research involves a sample of 300 students from various higher education institutions across the UAE, with data collected via Google Forms. The findings reveal a generally positive reception of AI tools, with students acknowledging their benefits in grammar correction, plagiarism detection, language translation, and essay structuring. These AI tools were found to enhance writing proficiency, increase self-efficacy, and reinforce comprehension of academic integrity. However, some students expressed concerns regarding the potential impact of AI on creativity, critical thinking, and ethical writing practices. The study advocates for a balanced integration of AI in academic writing, highlighting the collaborative potential between AI and human authors. It also identifies the most commonly used AI tools among students in the UAE. This research underscores the significant role of AI in advancing academic writing while emphasizing the necessity of preserving human creativity and critical analysis, advocating for a balanced approach to AI implementation in academic settings.

Author

• Ghadah Hassan Al Murshidi, UAE University