Pilot GenAI

The introduction of GenAI in education is rapidly transforming the field for everyone involved. Its abilities to automate tasks, aid writing, and quickly generate new content are key drivers of its growing appeal in education. However, its adoption also raises concerns around accuracy of outputs, over-reliance on technology and ethical use of institutional data. THUAS is no exception to these discussions, as GenAI is already being used widely among teaching, research, and administrative staff.

Aim and Design

The Pilot GenAI was commissioned by the AI Steering Group of THUAS and the research group Learning Technology & Analytics was requested to conduct the research into the pilot.

The aim of the pilot is to investigate the influence of GenAI adoption on education, research, and support staff of THUAS, specifically in terms of perceived usability, quality, and productivity of work.
The pilot design was guided by the Dutch 3E framework, which provides a structural approach to evaluate educational technology using three levels of evidence.

• The ‘bronze-level’ evidence consisted of a literature review and a Theory of Change outlining the effects GenAI is hypothesized to have on the three variables (usability, quality and productivity) among the three staff groups.
• The ‘silver-level’ evidence used the TAM (Technology Acceptance Model) survey as well as interviews to gain insight into staff perceptions and experiences regarding the effect of GenAI on the three variables.
• Finally, the ‘gold-level’ evidence was generated through a micro-RCT measuring how GenAI affected quality and productivity when staff performed domain-specific tasks.

From Insights to Action

The pilot yielded valuable insights into how GenAI affects THUAS staff across different domains. Based on the insights, actionable recommendations were provided for the responsible and sustainable integration of GenAI at THUAS. 

The findings emphasize that successful adoption depends not only on the capabilities of the GenAI tool itself but also on its task appropriateness, the digital literacy of users, and the professional setting in which it is applied. The findings highlighted the need for differentiated support, clear governance, and ongoing evaluation of the continuous impact of GenAI adoption at THUAS.

Contact 

Sustainable adoption of emerging technologies, such as GenAI, benefits from ongoing knowledge exchange. If you have questions about the pilot design, its findings or would like to share feedback, we’d be happy to hear from you. We also welcome opportunities to collaborate on similar projects or to connect around the topic of GenAI in education and professional practice. 

If you would like to continue the conversation, please contact Dr. Manika Garg at [email protected]