ChatGPT’s Impact on Students’ Writing: Lessons Learned from Nepali Undergraduate Students

Overview & Synopsis

Artifi cial Intelligence (AI) has signifi cantly evolved and is widely applied across various sectors, including education. The advent of ChatGPT has generated interest among users and researchers. Some express concerns about student dependency, while others advocate its incorporation into education due to its growing indispensability. ChatGPT off ers a platform for students to address diffi cult theoretical questions and generate ideas for application-based questions. A study was conducted to understand undergraduate students' perceptions of ChatGPT's usefulness in academic writing and explore its potential in Nepali education. Using a mixed-method approach, data was gathered through a structured questionnaire distributed online via Messenger and email. The respondents, 64 Nepali students pursuing undergraduate degrees in Nepal and abroad, answered six questions: 5 questions were structured, and 1question was unstructured. The study revealed that most students found ChatGPT easy to use and benefi cial for idea generation, rephrasing, and correcting grammatical errors. However, concerns about dependency and its impact on creativity were noted. While ChatGPT is a valuable tool for enhancing writing skills, a balanced approach is necessary to leverage AI's capabilities while fostering independent thinking. Further research is recommended to explore long-term impacts and eff ective integration strategies in education.