Digital literacy and ethics in the use of generative artificial intelligence: student perceptions and academic challenges in a Mexican university
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18050/rev.espergesia.v12i1.3503Keywords:
Digital Literacy, Generative AI, Digital Skills, Ethics in Generative-AI, Critical ThinkingAbstract
Introduction: This study explored university students' perceptions of the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence and the digital and ethical competencies required in response to the excessive use of this tool, which poses educational challenges. Methods: This paper employed a qualitative methodology based on hermeneutics, analyzing 58 texts written by undergraduate students (17 men and 41 women). The methodological validation was grounded in the objective hermeneutics model, which includes theoretical-empirical validation, levels of validation, and criteria for contextual applicability. Results: Students expressed concern about the loss of research skills, particularly critical thinking, source evaluation, and, most notably, the ethical management of digital technologies to prevent plagiarism and foster meaningful learning. They acknowledged the need for digital literacy that goes beyond technical skills, emphasizing the importance of incorporating digital literacy into the university curriculum to promote intellectual virtues such as curiosity and critical thinking. They also highlighted the need for clear institutional policies to regulate the use of generative artificial intelligence in higher education settings, with the aim of enhancing meaningful learning. Conclusions: This study provides empirical evidence from a humanistic perspective, contributing to the development of educational strategies and public policies that address the challenges posed by generative artificial intelligence in university contexts.
Downloads
References
Álvarez-Gayou, J. L. (2003). Cómo hacer investigación cualitativa. Fundamentos y metodología. Paidós.
Andrade-Martínez, C., Hernando, Á., & Suing, A. (2021). Educomunicación y Alfabetización mediática para combatir las Fake news en redes sociales. RISTI - Revista Iberica de Sistemas e Tecnologias de Informacao, (E45), 573-584. https://www.proquest.com/openview/b87df35b8a11c8e2b5cdb4546d57932f/1?cbl=1006393&pq-origsite=gscholar
Bannister, P., Alcalde-Peñalver, E., & Santamaría-Urbieta, A. (2024). Transnational higher education cultures and generative AI: A nominal group study for policy development in English medium instruction. Journal for Multicultural Education, 18(1/2), 173-191. https://doi.org/10.1108/JME-10-2023-0102
Borim-de-Souza, R., Travis, E. F., Munck, L., & Galleli, B. (2020). An objective hermeneutic approach to qualitative validation. Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management: An International Journal, 15(4), 523-541. https://doi.org/10.1108/QROM-08-2019-1806
Buchan, M. C., Bhawra, J., & Katapally, T. R. (2024). Navigating the digital world: development of an evidence-based digital literacy program and assessment tool for youth. Smart Learning Environments, 11(8), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-024-00293-x
Chan, C. K. Y. (2023). A comprehensive AI policy education framework for university teaching and learning. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 20(1), 38. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-023-00408-3
Chiu, T. K. F. (2024). Future research recommendations for transforming higher education with generative AI. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 6, 100197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2023.100197
Cisternas San Martín, N., Guzmán Muñoz, E., & Rivas Poblete, A. (2025). Inteligencia Artificial como asistente para desarrollar un currículum de educación continua basado en competencias. Revista de Investigación Educativa, (43), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.6018/rie.619441
Corvalán, J. G., Estevez, E., & Le Fevre Cervini, E. M. (2023). ChatGPT vs GPT-4: ¿Imperfecto por diseño? Explorando los límites de la inteligencia artificial conversacional. Ciudad Educativa.
Cuervo Sánchez, S. L., Foronda Rojo, A., Rodríguez Martínez, A., & Medrano Samaniego, C. (2021). Media and information literacy: a measurement instrument for adolescents. Educational Review, 73(4), 487–502. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2019.1646708
Domingo-Coscollola, M., Sancho-Gil, J. M., & Soler-Campo, S. (2025). El reto de enseñar y aprender en la universidad. Percepción del alumnado en torno al uso de las tecnologías digitales. Revista de Investigación Educativa, (43), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.6018/rie.590741
Farias-Gaytan, S., Aguaded, I., & Ramirez-Montoya, M.-S. (2023). Digital transformation and digital literacy in the context of complexity within higher education institutions: a systematic literature review. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10(1), 386. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01875-9
Farrelly, T., & Baker, N. (2023). Generative Artificial Intelligence: Implications and Considerations for Higher Education Practice. Education Sciences, 13(11), 1109. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13111109
Ferrarelli, M. (2021). Alfabetismos aumentados: producir, expresarse y colaborar en la cultura digital. Austral Comunicación, 10(02), 395–411. https://doi.org/10.26422/aucom.2021.1002.fer
Flores-Vivar, J., & García-Peñalvo, F. (2023). Reflexiones sobre la ética, potencialidades y retos de la Inteligencia Artificial en el marco de la Educación de Calidad (ODS4). Comunicar, 74, 37-47. https://doi.org/10.3916/C74-2023-03
Gadamer, H. G. (1993). Verdad y Método (Tomo 1). Sígueme.
Getenet, S., Cantle, R., Redmond, P., & Albion, P. (2024). Students’ digital technology attitude, literacy and self-efficacy and their effect on online learning engagement. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 21(3), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-023-00437-y
Gil, I., & Marzal-Felici, J. (2023). ¿Cómo impulsar la educomunicación y la alfabetización mediática desde el sistema educativo en España? Diagnóstico, problemática y propuestas por los expertos. Revista Mediterránea de Comunicación, 14(2), 207–226. https://doi.org/10.14198/MEDCOM.24011
Guerra-Santana, M., Rodríguez-Pulido, J., & Artiles-Rodríguez, J. (2021). Use of social networks by university students from a personal and educational sphere. Aula Abierta, 50(1), 497-504. https://doi.org/10.17811/rifie.50.1.2021.497-504
Gutiérrez-González, M. A., & Ocádiz-Amador, A. (2024). Los problemas tecno-éticos en la inteligencia artificial generativa. Razón y palabra, 28(119), 15-27. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=9535823&orden=0&info=link
Hejna, U., & Seeling, S. (2022). Digitale und virtuelle Unterstützung hermeneutischer Fallarbeit in der gesundheitsberuflichen Bildung: Ein systematisches Review. Pflege, 35(5), 289–301. https://doi.org/10.1024/1012-5302/a000861
Hoffmann, M., & Borenstein, J. (2014). Understanding Ill-Structured Engineering Ethics Problems Through a Collaborative Learning and Argument Visualization Approach. Science and Engineering Ethics, 20, 261–276. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-013-9430-y
Linden, T., & Cybulski, J. L. (2006). Refining the process of sharing problem-solving experience across domain: A hermeneutic study. Association for Information Systems, 6, 3593-3602.
Mantzavinos, C. (2005). Naturalistic hermeneutics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511498947
Milković, M., Vuković, D., Kerum, F. (2025). Critical Digital Literacy as a Key Skill in Higher Education: Attitudes of Students and Professors. In N. Callaos, J. Horne, B. Sánchez (Eds.), Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Society and Information Technologies: ICSIT 2025, pp. 14-21. International Institute of Informatics and Cybernetics. https://doi.org/10.54808/ICSIT2025.01.14
Miranda, P., Isaias, P., & Pifano, S. (2018). Digital Literacy in Higher Education. In: P. Zaphiris & A. Ioannou (eds), Learning and Collaboration Technologies. Learning and Teaching. LCT 2018. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (pp. 71-87). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91152-6_6
Plata, S., de Guzmán, M. A., & Quesada, A. (2023). Emerging Research and Policy Themes on Academic Integrity in the Age of Chat GPT and Generative AI. Asian Journal of University Education, 19(4), 743-758. https://doi.org/10.24191/ajue.v19i4.24697
Puebla, P., Arias, J., & Matheu, A. (2024). Alfabetización Digital en la Educación Superior: Un Análisis correlacional multivariante del Manejo de Herramientas Tecnológicas por Docentes Universitarios. Revista Ibérica de Sistemas e Tecnologias de Informação, 6(70), 448-461 https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=9886379&orden=0&info=link
Quintana, L., & Hermida, J. (2020). La hermenéutica como método de interpretación de textos en la investigación psicoanalítica. Perspectivas en psicología, 16(2), 73-80. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3593031
Reyes Cabrera, W. R., & Pinto Sosa, J. E. (2024). Validación de un instrumento para evaluar la alfabetización digital de estudiantes mexicanos. EDUTEC. Revista Electrónica de Tecnología Educativa, 88, 200-219. https://doi.org/10.21556/edutec.2024.88.3131
Rojas-Estrada, E.-G., Aguaded, I., & García-Ruiz, R. (2024). Media and Information Literacy in the Prescribed Curriculum: A Systematic Review on its Integration. Education and Information Technologies, 29(8), 9445–9472. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12154-0
Rudolph, J., Tan, S., & Tan, S. (2023). War of the chatbots: Bard, Bing Chat, ChatGPT, Ernie and beyond. The new AI gold rush and its impact on higher education. Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching, 6(1), 364-389. https://doi.org/10.37074/jalt.2023.6.1.23
Saúde, S., Barros, J. P., & Almeida, I. (2024). Impacts of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: Research Trends and Students’ Perceptions. Social Sciences, 13(8), 410. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13080410
Solmaz, E., Özcan, S., & Coşkun, B. K. (2023). Digital and ICT Literacy in Distance Education: A Systematic Review of Definitions and Transformations. In C. Baskaran & S. Dhanavandan (Eds.), Information Literacy Skills and the Role of Social Media in Disseminating Scholarly Information in the 21st Century (pp. 1-14). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-8805-8.ch001
Trede, F., Higgs, J., & Rothwell, R. (2008). Critical Transformative Dialogues: A Research Method Beyond the Fusions of Horizons. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-10.1.1186
Walter, Y. (2024). Embracing the future of Artificial Intelligence in the classroom: the relevance of AI literacy, prompt engineering, and critical thinking in modern education. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 21(1), 1-29. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-024-00448-3
Xia, Q., Weng, X., Ouyang, F., Lin, T. J., & Chiu, T. K. F. (2024). A scoping review on how generative artificial intelligence transforms assessment in higher education. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 21(40), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-024-00468-z
Zehnpfennig, B. (2021). Die Analytisch-hermeneutische Methode. Deutsche Zeitschrift für Philosophie, 69(2), 171-196. https://doi.org/10.1515/dzph-2021-0015
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Andrés Ocádiz Amador, Manuel Alejandro Gutiérrez González
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
