Adoption of artificial intelligence in selected nursing schools: A study on higher education in nursing in the Western Province of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in higher education has significantly increased in the field of nursing education to transform traditional teaching and learning methods. This study evaluates AI usage among final-year state diploma nursing students in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 422 participants selected randomly from three state nursing schools in three districts. A self-administered questionnaire was used and data were analyzed with the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) 27.0 version. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used in data analysis. AI adoption was widespread, with 95.5% (402) of students incorporating AI into their education, while only 4.5% (20) did not. Usage frequency varied with 216 (50%) students utilizing AI several times weekly, 145 (33.6%) daily, fewer 28 (6.5%) monthly, 25 (5.8%) rarely, 5 (1.2%) weekly, and 3 (0.7%) once a month. A negative Pearson correlation indicated that younger students were more likely to adopt AI. Participants reported 1,304 total tool selections across different categories. ChatGPT was the most used and dominant, selected by 403 respondents (95.5%). Language and communication aids (Google Translate and Replika) followed with 310 selections (73.46%). Organizational software (Office 365, Evernote) had 228 users (54.02%), and writing aids (Grammarly, Quill Bot, Zotero) were mentioned 101 times (23.93%). Communication platforms (Slack, Microsoft Teams) 99 times (23.46%), virtual learning aids (Khan Academy, Coursera, and Duolingo) 61 times (14.45%). Less common choices included voice assistants (e.g., Siri, Alexa) with 54 mentions (12.8%), adaptive platforms (e.g., Socratic by Google) 28 mentions (6.63%), miscellaneous tools (24 mentions), and AI research aids (e.g., Mendeley) with 20 mentions (4.74%). Frequent and diverse AI use suggests growing reliance on AI for academic tasks. Usage varies by accessibility and age. Preparing students with skills and ethical awareness is essential for future healthcare settings.