Project Lead: Oliver Walton, Department of Social & Policy Sciences.

Generative AI (GenAI) tools are now deeply embedded in student learning, with national evidence showing that 92% of UK undergraduates use AI tools and 88% use them for assessments (HEPI 2025). However, there is a lack of guidance that is tailored to specific cohorts of students, which reflects their background characteristics, employability concerns, and disciplinary practices (HEPI 2025, JISC 2025).

In SPS, students’ GenAI engagement varies widely—some avoid AI because of fears around academic misconduct, while others admit that becoming overly reliant on AI summaries has damaged their ability to read academic texts and undermined deep learning.

Building on research highlighting UK student perceptions of ethical and effective GenAI use, this project will use four focus groups and a departmental survey to generate in-depth, contextualised evidence to inform inclusive and effective departmental practice.

We will then co-create, with student partners, a tailored set of AI preparation sessions and updated departmental guidance that reflects students’ lived experiences, challenges, and needs. This evidence-informed, co-creative approach will strengthen learning outcomes and provide a scalable model for university-wide application. The project will engage with UG students as well as PGT and PGRs, whose experience has been generally neglected in existing research (English et al 2026).

Project outcomes and report due Spring 2027.