Project Details
Description
This project corresponds to the third and final stage of the " Proyecto de Consolidación de la Investigación en Educación en Computación (Computing Education Research, CER) y áreas afines en el TEC y en Costa Rica (Project for the Consolidation of Research in Computing Education (CER) and Related Areas at TEC and in Costa Rica)". The previous stages established the bibliometric and empirical foundations of this research line: Stage 1 documented that only 1.6% of global scientific production in CER originates from Latin America; Stage 2 investigated the causes of this underrepresentation and analyzed the curricular integration of Generative AI (GenAI) in the Information Technology Management (ATI) program at TEC. This third stage represents a significant step forward in maturity: it proposes a study with active international collaboration, focused on a specific topic of global relevance.
The project examines the academic and social impact of Generative AI tools on students enrolled in computing and information systems programs through a qualitative comparative study based on semi-structured interviews. Researchers at Utrecht University have generated quantitative evidence on GenAI use and perceptions among Dutch students (Keuning et al., 2024; Alpizar-Chacon et al., 2025), and prior studies in Costa Rica have revealed significant differences by academic program type (Alpizar-Chacon & Leiva-Chinchilla, under review). However, these studies do not explain the reasons behind students' attitudes. The present project moves beyond quantitative data to understand in depth, through interviews, why students perceive and use GenAI the way they do and what impact it has on their learning and academic life.
The study will include students from two program types — Computer Science and Software Engineering (CS/SE) and Information Systems and Information Technology (IS/IT) — at the Costa Rica Institute of Technology (Global South) and Utrecht University (Global North), in collaboration with researcher Hieke Keuning. Approximately 30 to 40 interviews will be conducted in total. The comparison between both contexts is central to the study design: findings obtained in Global North contexts are not automatically generalizable to realities such as Costa Rica's, which differ in terms of technological infrastructure, academic culture, socioeconomic conditions, and relationship with technology. By contrasting two institutions in distinct geographic and institutional contexts, the project seeks to identify which aspects of GenAI's impact are common to both settings and which are shaped by local conditions, thereby contributing to a more inclusive and representative body of knowledge on the topic.
The project examines the academic and social impact of Generative AI tools on students enrolled in computing and information systems programs through a qualitative comparative study based on semi-structured interviews. Researchers at Utrecht University have generated quantitative evidence on GenAI use and perceptions among Dutch students (Keuning et al., 2024; Alpizar-Chacon et al., 2025), and prior studies in Costa Rica have revealed significant differences by academic program type (Alpizar-Chacon & Leiva-Chinchilla, under review). However, these studies do not explain the reasons behind students' attitudes. The present project moves beyond quantitative data to understand in depth, through interviews, why students perceive and use GenAI the way they do and what impact it has on their learning and academic life.
The study will include students from two program types — Computer Science and Software Engineering (CS/SE) and Information Systems and Information Technology (IS/IT) — at the Costa Rica Institute of Technology (Global South) and Utrecht University (Global North), in collaboration with researcher Hieke Keuning. Approximately 30 to 40 interviews will be conducted in total. The comparison between both contexts is central to the study design: findings obtained in Global North contexts are not automatically generalizable to realities such as Costa Rica's, which differ in terms of technological infrastructure, academic culture, socioeconomic conditions, and relationship with technology. By contrasting two institutions in distinct geographic and institutional contexts, the project seeks to identify which aspects of GenAI's impact are common to both settings and which are shaped by local conditions, thereby contributing to a more inclusive and representative body of knowledge on the topic.
General Objective
Comprender el impacto académico y social de las herramientas de IA generativa en estudiantes de programas relacionados con la computación y sistemas de información mediante un estudio cualitativo comparativo en dos contextos geográficos e institucionales distintos: el Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica (Sur Global) y la Universidad de Utrecht (Norte Global)
Research Lines
Investigación Educativa en Sistemas de información
| Status | Active |
|---|---|
| Effective start/end date | 4/07/26 → 29/10/27 |
Keywords
- Computing Education
- Generative Artificial Intelligence
- Global South
- Comparative Analysis
Fingerprint
Explore the research topics touched on by this project. These labels are generated based on the underlying awards/grants. Together they form a unique fingerprint.