Global classrooms: a tri-national study on AI integration by higher education students

Collaborative cross-cultural learning expands higher education students’ (HES’) intercultural and language awareness, enhances their intercultural competence, has an impact on attitudes towards technology and AI as well as towards the course design and general satisfaction with the collaborative experience in the course. Furthermore, their self-perceived role in a digital setting and their self-perceived English proficiency were measured. The CoGIH Project encourages HES to explore the educational potential of artificial intelligence (AI) for learning and teaching in the school setting. A special focus is on the impact AI might have on the language learning process in English as a lingua franca in a multilingual setting. N = 113 HES, including both pre-service and in-service teachers as well as students preparing for educational administration, from five institutions in Israel, Germany, and Hungary collaborated in 14 international groups, representing five higher education institutions; n = 91 answered the questionnaires. Each group investigated the educational potential of a specific AI application and developed an AI-supported, results-based webpage. The study employed a multi-method research design. Questionnaires were administered to the HES to investigate their experiences at the beginning and at the end of the course. While quantitative data were used to investigate the research through the lens of descriptive statistics and correlations between factors, qualitative data from the open questions were analysed to enable a deeper understanding of HES’ perceptions, experiences and meanings, as well as their critical thinking. The study highlighted strengths and challenges in using AI for educational purposes. The HES valued clear structures, logical navigation, and creative, motivating tasks. Simultaneously, recurring issues included incomplete translations, limited depth of critical reflection, and weaknesses in visual design. In sum, even though AI can support creativity and language learning and teaching, individual learners’ reflections and authentic teacher guidance remain indispensable for meaningful learning.