A scoping literature review of prompt engineering for bridging students AI literacy in higher education

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) has been widely used in education, yet many students still lack the skills to fully leverage its potential. A systematic search was conducted across three academic databases from 2020 to 2025. This scoping review explores the evolving landscape of GenAI applications and introduces prompt engineering as a critical competency students need to develop to bridge their AI literacy and enhance their technical skills and critical thinking in higher education. A search across Scopus, PubMed, and ERIC yielded 76 studies that were systematically reviewed to identify relevant research. The PRISMA-ScR guidelines were used to determine which studies met the eligibility requirements. The main findings of this scoping review were to map the definitions and applications of prompt engineering in higher education, the prompt strategies to bridge students' AI literacy, the implementation methods, the types of student tasks, the research findings, and the research gaps. Thematic analysis yielded six key themes: prompt engineering, AI literacy, guided learning design, performance and learning outcomes, student behavior, and GenAI usage risks, all of which are critical areas to consider in optimizing GenAI usage. This review identifies critical gaps in current understanding, particularly regarding prompt engineering to maximize GenAI capabilities across diverse student conditions and curriculum areas and to bridge AI literacy. The findings provide a preliminary contribution to lecturers, GenAI tool developers, researchers, and policymakers by offering direction for curriculum integration, tool design, and future empirical research on prompt engineering to strengthen student AI literacy in higher education.