Using Generative Artificial Intelligence in University Teaching

The growth rate of ChatGPT was very fast, in just five days it was possible to gain one million active users. To put this in perspective, it has taken Netflix more than three years to get this amount (launch year: 1999) and Instagram two and a half months (launch year: 2010). But what potential do generative AI tools bear for universities? ChatGPT can assist teachers in various different ways be it to create a draft for an assignment, ask about different discussion questions for the classroom or to support authors in their writing skills so that future research papers are easier to understand. At present, generative AI is not a fixed component of teaching at universities. The aim of this paper is therefore to stimulate thinking about how AI could be used to enhance lecturers’ and students’ current usage of AI. We investigated how AI can be used for teaching in higher education. We find that generative AI can have various effects on the population, not only in the private sector, but also in teaching. These effects can be positive in that they strengthen social relationships and augment creativity, but can also result in psychological and physiological exhaustion, when not handled properly. Based on the results, the status quo of our university in dealing with generative AI tools was considered and a collaborative approach with a system recommendation was proposed based on this. Overall, it is strongly recommended to integrate generative AI in university curricula to strengthen the reputation as an innovative, future-oriented university.