Variations of Australian university teachers’ conceptions of teaching with GenAI

A phenomenographic qualitative study

Abstract

The recent emergence of GenAI (GenAI) has generated significant interest and intense debate in higher education learning and teaching. Under this scenario, researchers and policy makers have begun to gain an understanding of what factors may influence university teachers’ acceptance and use of GenAI in teaching. Research has shown that how teachers conceptualise teaching shape their pedagogical approach to some degree. Using a phenomenographic qualitative research design, the study examined variations of Australian university teachers’ conceptions of teaching with GenAI via semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of the interview transcripts was conducted to identify themes prior to a second pass inductive analysis, enabling the researchers to compare and contrast perspectives. Three qualitatively different conceptions were identified: 1) GenAI is used in teaching to develop students’ understanding, critical thinking, and reflection; 2) GenAI is used in teaching to reproduce learning and teaching artefacts; and 3) GenAI are just tools, only having limited applications in teaching. Of the three categories of conceptions, only the first category was student-centred/learning-focused conceptions, which aimed to use GenAI in teaching to support students’ learning and understanding. This work will provide educators with a framework to utilising GenAI in the classroom to support student-centred learning.