Academic communication with AI-powered language tools in higher education - From a post-humanist perspective - Article

Aug 29, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob

AI-powered language tools (AILTs) are widely used by university students, yet everyday practices and perceptions remain insufficiently understood. Using a post-humanist lens and qualitative thematic analysis of over 1700 open-ended comments from a nationwide student survey, the study investigates students’ lived AILT experiences in higher education learning and assessment. Results show students’ academic writing emerges through distributed linguistic repertoires, supporting communicative performance, language development, and an additional learning space.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

AI-powered language tools in higher education

Research focus and ethical debate

Academic communication with AI-powered language tools in higher education: From a post-humanist perspective Downloaded from: [https://research.chalmers.se](https://research.chalmers.se), 2026-08-27 10:16 UTC Citation for the original published paper (version of record): Ou, W., Stöhr, C., Malmström, H. (2024). Academic communication with AI-powered language tools in higher education: From a post-humanist perspective. System, 121: 1-14. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2024.103225](http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2024.103225) N. B. When citing this work, cite the original published paper. research.chalmers.se offers the possibility of retrieving research publications produced at Chalmers University of Technology. It covers all kind of research output: articles, dissertations, conference papers, reports etc. since 2004. research.chalmers.se is administrated and maintained by Chalmers Library (article starts on next page) System 121 (2024) 103225 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect System journal [homepage:](homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/system)[ www.elsevier.com/locate/system](homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/system) | Academic communication with AI-powered language tools in higher education: From a post-humanist perspective | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Amy Wanyu Ou a, *, Christian St¨ohra, Hans Malmstr¨oma
a Department of Communication and Learning in Science (CLS), Chalmers University of Technology, SE, 41296, Gothenburg, Sweden | | | | | A R T I C L E I N F O | | A B S T R A C T | | | Keywords:
Artificial intelligence (AI) AI-Powered language tools Post-humanism Academic communication Higher education
AI chatbot | | AI-powered language tools (AILTs) are commonly used by university students, yet there is a limited understanding of how students utilise and perceive these tools in everyday academic communication practice. Employing a post-humanist lens and based on over 1700 open-ended comments from a nationwide student survey, this qualitative study examined students’ lived AILT experiences to explicate the impact of AILTs on academic communication in higher education learning and assessment. Thematic analysis of the data shows that students’ academic writing is realised by assemblages of distributed spatial and personal linguistic repertoires, underscoring AILT’s role in enhancing students’ communicative performance and personal language development. AILTs are also conducive to transforming the academic writing process into an additional learning space. Students have developed a new identity as spatially advised learners, enabling them to assert their agency in terms of language development and subjectcontent knowledge while also holding critical perspectives on the limitations of AI. Furthermore, the findings point to divergent and eclectic student viewpoints on the ethical concerns of AILTs in assessment in the absence of university instructions. The study discusses implications for university policymaking and pedagogy in developing teaching and assessment methods that match students’ stances and needs in AI-mediated academic communication. | | 1. Introduction In recent decades, the growing availability of artificial intelligence (AI) applications in higher education has ushered in a new era of teaching and learning (Churi et al., 2022; Crompton & Burke, 2023; Zawacki-Richter et al., 2019). Notably, the educational landscape has been significantly reshaped by the proliferation of AI-powered language tools (AILTs), which have been widely used by university students for their engagement in academic communication. AI-powered language tools (AILTs) are software programmes/applications that use AI methods to analyse or generate human language, including but not limited to writing assistants, machine translators, speech-to-text transcribers, and text generators (chatbots). These technologies have introduced both new opportunities and challenges to students’ inter

FAQs

What research question does the paper address about AI-powered language tools in higher education?

The study examines how university students use and perceive AI-powered language tools in everyday academic communication practices, especially in learning and assessment contexts.

What method does the paper use to analyze student experiences?

It applies a post-humanist lens and conducts qualitative thematic analysis on more than 1700 open-ended comments collected from a nationwide student survey.

How do AILTs influence students’ academic writing and learning process, according to the findings?

Students’ writing is described as assemblages of distributed spatial and personal linguistic repertoires, enhancing communicative performance and personal language development, while also transforming writing into an additional learning space.

What does the paper suggest regarding ethics and university instruction for assessment?

The findings indicate divergent student views on ethical concerns about using AILTs in assessment, particularly when universities do not provide clear instructions; the paper discusses implications for policymaking and pedagogy.

Aug 29, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob