The use of generative artificial intelligence in the creation of supplemental learning materials in higher education

This exploratory cross-sectional study examined undergraduate public health students’ perceptions and attitudes of supplemental interactive books created with H5P Smart Import, a generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tool designed to accelerate the development of learning materials. Guided by the Successive Approximation Model), interactive books were developed for an online undergraduate public health course at a large public university in Texas. The study analysed survey data from the second semester of a larger three-semester instructional design project. During the study semester, students used supplemental interactive books created with GenAI; half were subsequently revised and enhanced by the instructor, while the remaining were used in their artificial intelligence (AI)-generated form. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to examine students’ perceptions, acceptance ratings, and preferences regarding the interactive learning materials. Overall, 72% of students reported positive perceptions of the interactive books. A paired-samples t-test indicated that instructor-enhanced interactive books received significantly higher acceptance ratings than AI-generated-only books. Findings suggest that GenAI tools, such as H5P Smart Import, may support efficient development of instructional materials, but instructor review and enhancement may improve student acceptance. Future research should examine how prompt design influences the quality of GenAI-generated materials and should use larger samples and explanatory mixed-method designs to better understand student experiences.