Using ChatGPT for Research Report Design: A Collaborative Learning Experience with Students and Professors in Honduras

The launch of ChatGPT has generated a wide debate in academia, high- lighting the concerns of those who perceive its use as a factor that can negatively affect the development of critical thinking in students and compromise their ethical integrity in research. The goal of this research is to determine the knowledge, usage, and perceptions of ChatGPT among university professors and students. This study was conducted with an action research approach. Firstly, a survey was administered to 133 students and 108 professors. Subsequently, a training experience was conducted with both groups, focusing on enhancing their skills to use ChatGPT in research report design. From the survey results, 48.10% of the professors and 43.6% of the students claimed to have a basic knowledge of ChatGPT, while 13.5% of the students and 18.5% of the professors said they did not know it. When analyzing the use of ChatGPT, 70.4% of the professors have never encouraged their students to use the tool, compared to 57.1% of the students who have never or rarely used it for academic purposes. In terms of perceptions, 43.6% of the students consider ChatGPT to be a beneficial tool, a perception shared by 47.2% of the professors who are in favor of promoting its use. After the training experience carried out, it was confirmed that the perception of the benefits of the tool improved. It is essential that Higher Education Institutions take appropriate measures to address this phenomenon, including faculty training and the establishment of institutional policies to guide the correct use of ChatGPT.