Journal of Academic Writing Apr 2025 OA PDF

A Year of Generative AI

Ilona Tragel University of Tartu ; Liisa-Maria Komissarov University of Tartu ; Eleriin Miilman Estonian Academy of Arts ; Nele Karolin Teiva University of Tartu ; Marri-Mariska Tammepõld University of Tartu

Abstract

The article presents results from a survey about the academic writing practices among the students of the University of Tartu (Estonia). We analyse how the use of generative artificial intelligence has changed between spring 2023 and spring 2024. Our data shows that there has been a small increase in the percentage of students who have used the help of AI while writing: in 2023, 43.9% of the students reported using or having used AI, in 2024 it was 51.6%. AI is most popular among the students of Science and Technology and least popular among the students of Humanities. In 2023, using AI was more common among undergraduates than master’s students, but by 2024 this situation had reversed. Among the activities that students use AI for, gathering ideas is most popular in both years. The biggest change between the two years is that the number of students using AI for summaries and overviews has nearly tripled. The paper discusses the possible reasons for these tendencies, as well as some relevant implications for learning and teaching (academic) writing.

Journal
Journal of Academic Writing
Published
2025-04-16
DOI
10.18552/joaw.v15is2.1118
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Topics
teacher development artificial intelligence
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