Using Artificial Intelligence Ethically in Higher Education: A Case Study on Management Information Systems Students

Abstract

This study examines and deeply investigates how university students define and negotiate the ethical use of artificial intelligence in higher education within different pedagogical contexts. Focusing on Management Information Systems students at Karadeniz Technical University, the study explores how artificial intelligence is used in technical, theoretical, and project-based courses and how ethical boundaries are shaped based on usage aim. Using a qualitative case study design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with undergraduate students and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings show that students do not evaluate the ethical use of artificial intelligence through fixed rules or institutional prohibitions, but rather through context-sensitive judgements based on learning goals, personal effort, responsibility, and course type. Artificial intelligence is mainly positioned as a technical assistant in programming-related courses, as a cognitive support tool in theoretical courses, and as a creative partner in project-based learning. Ethical concerns emerge when artificial intelligence replaces students’ own thinking, creativity, or responsibility. The chapter concludes that the ethical use of artificial intelligence in higher education should be addressed through flexible, pedagogically informed, and student-centred approaches rather than rigid policies, highlighting the importance of shared responsibility among students, instructors, and institutions.