Exploring Students’ Perceptions of ChatGPT: A Study of Public University in Malaysia

ChatGPT has sparked both excitement and skepticism in education. The release and rapid diffusion of ChatGPT has forced teachers and researchers around the world to grapple with the consequences of artificial intelligence (AI) for education. To analyze its impact on teaching and learning it is crucial to understand how students perceive ChatGPT and assess its potential and challenges. This study investigated students’ perception of ChatGPT in higher education. About 360 students responded to a questionnaire which gauged their perceptions regarding use of ChatGPT in teaching and learning at their university. Most of the students rated their level of awareness as very aware and extremely aware. For ability to use ChatGPT they rated themselves as medium or High. The results show that the students admire the capabilities of ChatGPT and find it interesting, motivating, and helpful for study and work. The results show that the students admire the capabilities of ChatGPT and find it interesting, motivating, and helpful for writing assignments However, many students feel that ChatGPT’s answers are not always accurate and most of them are knowledgeable about potential benefits and limitations of ChatGPT. So, most students think that ChatGPT needs to be improved but are optimistic that this will happen soon. Most students also mentioned that ChatGPT can provide to students’ instant feedback and enhance the learning process and experience. When it comes to the negative impact of ChatGPT on learning academic cheating is the issue they highlighted. We conclude that ChatGPT can and should be used for learning. However, students should be aware of its limitations. The study a found positive relationship between awareness and attitudes to ChatGPT and perceptions towards ChatGPT. The main determinant of perception towards ChatGPT is attitudes toward ChatGPT. Educators should try using ChatGPT and guide students on effective prompting techniques and how to assess generated responses. The developers should improve their models to enhance the accuracy of given answers. The study provides insights into the capabilities and limitations of ChatGPT in education and informs future research and development.