Year: 2026
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Surveys among HE students in Denmark, Norway and Sweden point to a paradox: university students increasingly use GenAI, GenAI shape study practices, and the students lack guidance on GenAI in education. Pedersen, Hansbøl and Fajkovic’s (2025) survey of Humanities and Theology students (Spring 2024) show that 46 % have not experienced teaching with a focus on GenAI, 25 % a few times and 20 % once. Engagements with GenAI chatbots is equally diverse. 7 % use them daily, 29 % weekly, 18 % monthly, 30 % more rarely, and 15 % never. These findings highlight the need to explore the varied relationships between students and GenAI in practice. GenAI chatbots, based on Large Language Models, raise societal and educational concerns that must be understood in relation to students’ purposes for engaging with them. Only 39 % of students who encountered GenAI in teachings received an introduction to its workings. Yet, 63 % of users find chatbots useful for learning, and 48 % believe they save time and increase efficiency. Surveys, however, offer only a group-level view; they cannot capture individual interests in or (dis-)engagements with GenAI chatbots for various learning purposes. Depending on objectives, GenAI engagements can be both meaningful and problematic. Bruun et al. (2025) warn that weaker students risk losing touch with their own knowledge, critical thinking, creativity and contributions, when interacting with persuasive chatbots. The authors call for empirical studies centered on the students’ perspectives and everyday practices. This paper asks: how does GenAI chatbots become part of and take part in moving diverse university students’ study practices? Empirically, it draws on qualitative interviews with 12 BA and MA level students from the Faculties of Humanities and Theology at University of Copenhagen who participated in the survey. Students were selected based on criteria such as payment status, study level, and frequency of use. Theoretically and analytically, the paper builds on Latour’s (2005) five sources of uncertainty and draw inspiration from Hansbøl (2010) to engage with GenAI chatbots as partially existing actors. GenAI chatbots are presented as actors that emerge through situated connections with university students’ interests, (dis-)engagements and study practices. The interviews create new entrance points allowing both students and chatbots to “speak” and transform the debates on GenAI in university education and student’s learning processes. Drawing on Schraube (2024) the paper presents portraits of the “what”, “how” and “why” of students’ (dis-)engagements with GenAI for learning. Through these lenses the paper opens discussions on the ontological multiplicities (2002) of educational opportunities and challenges posed by GenAI, grounded in students’ own descriptions of study practices with and without chatbots.
Author: Hansbøl, Mikala
Language: Danish
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7155284992