Need for early, institution-wide AI literacy education highlighted in study

Need for early, institution-wide AI literacy education highlighted in study Gaby Clark Scientific Editor Andrew Zinin Lead Editor Along with researchers from James Madison University, three collaborators in the Office of the Provost recently published in Research & Practice in Assessment. Jaime Miller, Stuart Miller and Rachel Whitman Rotch began gathering data in the summer of 2025, investigating students' artificial intelligence (AI) literacy levels using the Generative AI Literacy Assessment Test (GLAT). The group's findings highlight the need for institutionwide early AI literacy education that emphasizes ethical reasoning, metacognitive awareness and evaluation. The data indicate that higher education institutions should not assume incoming students are AI-literate and should provide a broad-based education to all students rather than specific, targeted interventions. Future research directions include tracking and evaluating AI literacy development throughout students' college experiences while continuing to refine assessments measuring AI-related ethical reasoning and metacognition. "What we found is that incoming students are already using AI tools—but their underlying understanding of how those tools work, and how to evaluate them critically, is still very limited," said Stuart Miller, assistant director of Academic Data Acquisitions and Reporting. "This study gives us a much-needed baseline. Now the real work is designing curriculum and experiences that actually move those numbers." The group recently presented its findings at the 2026 Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention in Barcelona, Spain. Its poster, titled "AI Everywhere, Literacy Nowhere: The Need for Generative AI Education," was extremely popular among attendees. Having partnered with James Madison University in the past, the success of these collaborations has encouraged the group to continue the partnership, with two more joint studies coming later this summer and in early fall. More information Generative AI Literacy of Incoming American College Students: Assessing the Need for Formal AI Literacy Training at Two Institutions. www.rpajournal.com/dev/wp-cont … College_Students.pdf Provided by Auburn University