AI Literacy in Higher Education: Concepts, Competencies, and Future Directions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54518/nes.3.2.2025.1355Keywords:
Artificial Intelligence Literacy, Higher Education, Generative Artificial Intelligence, Responsible AI, Human–AI Collaboration, AI CompetencyAbstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) literacy has become an essential competency for higher education as generative AI transforms teaching, learning, research, and assessment. This study examines AI literacy through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) using the PRISMA 2020 framework. Studies published between 2020 and 2025 were systematically collected and synthesized using a framework-based thematic analysis. Five themes emerged: the evolution of AI literacy, conceptual frameworks, core competencies, educational implementation, and future research directions. The findings indicate that AI literacy extends beyond technical knowledge by integrating critical evaluation, prompt literacy, ethical reasoning, responsible AI use, and human–AI collaboration. Universities increasingly embed AI literacy into curricula, faculty development, and institutional policy to prepare graduates for AI-enabled environments. The review highlights responsible governance, interdisciplinary education, and lifelong competency development as priorities for advancing AI literacy in higher education.
References
Aler Tubella, A., Mora-Cantallops, M., & Nieves, J. C. (2024). How to teach responsible AI in higher education: Challenges and opportunities. Ethics and Information Technology, 26(1), 1.
Allen, L. K., & Kendeou, P. (2024). ED-AI Lit: An interdisciplinary framework for AI literacy in education. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 11(1), 3–10.
Batista, J., Mesquita, A., & Carnaz, G. (2024). Generative AI and higher education: Trends, challenges, and future directions from a systematic literature review. Information, 15(11), 676.
Bentley, C., Aicardi, C., Poveda, S., Magela Cunha, L., Kohan Marzagao, D., Glover, R., ... & Acar, O. A. (2023). A framework for responsible AI education. SSRN.
Biagini, G., Cuomo, S., & Ranieri, M. (2024). Developing and validating a multidimensional AI literacy questionnaire: Operationalizing AI literacy for higher education. CEUR Workshop Proceedings, 3605, 1–15.
Brusilovsky, P. (2024). AI in education, learner control, and human–AI collaboration. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, 34(1), 122–135.
Carolus, A., Koch, M. J., Straka, S., Latoschik, M. E., & Wienrich, C. (2023). MAILS-Meta AI literacy scale: Development and testing of an AI literacy questionnaire based on well-founded competency models and psychological change-and meta-competencies. Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans, 1(2), 100014.
Chaaban, Y., Qadhi, S., Chen, J., & Du, X. (2024). Understanding researchers' AI readiness in a higher education context: Q methodology research. Education Sciences, 14(7), 709.
Chiu, T. K., & Sanusi, I. T. (2024). Define, foster, and assess student and teacher AI literacy and competency for all: Current status and future research direction. Computers and Education Open, 7, 100182.
De Silva, D., Jayatilleke, S., El-Ayoubi, M., Issadeen, Z., Moraliyage, H., & Mills, N. (2024). The human-centred design of a universal module for artificial intelligence literacy in tertiary education institutions. Machine Learning and Knowledge Extraction, 6(2), 1114–1125.
Ding, A. C. E., Shi, L., Yang, H., & Choi, I. (2024). Enhancing teacher AI literacy and integration through different types of cases in teacher professional development. Computers and Education Open, 6, 100178.
Dotan, R., Parker, L. S., & Radzilowicz, J. (2024). Responsible adoption of generative AI in higher education: Developing a "points to consider" approach based on faculty perspectives. In Proceedings of the 2024 ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (pp. 2033–2046).
Kong, S. C., Cheung, W. M. Y., & Zhang, G. (2021). Evaluation of an artificial intelligence literacy course for university students with diverse study backgrounds. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 2, 100026.
Kong, S. C., Cheung, W. M. Y., & Zhang, G. (2023). Evaluating an artificial intelligence literacy programme for developing university students' conceptual understanding, literacy, empowerment and ethical awareness. Educational Technology & Society, 26(1), 16–30.
Laupichler, M. C., Aster, A., Schirch, J., & Raupach, T. (2022). Artificial intelligence literacy in higher and adult education: A scoping literature review. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 3, 100101.
Lee, Y. J., Oh, J., & Hong, C. (2024). Exploratory research on understanding university students' artificial intelligence literacy in a Korean university. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 14(3), e202440.
Long, D., & Magerko, B. (2020). What is AI literacy? Competencies and design considerations. In Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1–16).
Mansoor, H. M., Bawazir, A., Alsabri, M. A., Alharbi, A., & Okela, A. H. (2024). Artificial intelligence literacy among university students: A comparative transnational survey. Frontiers in Communication, 9, 1478476.
Memarian, B., & Doleck, T. (2023). Fairness, accountability, transparency, and ethics (FATE) in artificial intelligence and higher education: A systematic review. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 5, 100152.
Nguyen, A., Hong, Y., Dang, B., & Huang, X. (2024). Human–AI collaboration patterns in AI-assisted academic writing. Studies in Higher Education, 49(5), 847–864.
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., et al. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372, n71.
Padovano, A., & Cardamone, M. (2024). Towards human–AI collaboration in the competency-based curriculum development process: The case of industrial engineering and management education. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 7, 100256.
Southworth, J., Migliaccio, K., Glover, J., Glover, J. N., Reed, D., McCarty, C., ... & Thomas, A. (2023). Developing a model for AI across the curriculum: Transforming the higher education landscape via innovation in AI literacy. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 4, 100127.
Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104, 333–339.
Tzirides, A. O. O., Zapata, G., Kastania, N. P., Saini, A. K., Castro, V., Ismael, S. A., ... & Kalantzis, M. (2024). Combining human and artificial intelligence for enhanced AI literacy in higher education. Computers and Education Open, 6, 100184.
Wu, C., Zhang, H., & Carroll, J. M. (2024). AI governance in higher education: Case studies of guidance at Big Ten universities. Future Internet, 16(10), 354.
Zhou, X., & Schofield, L. (2024). Developing a conceptual framework for artificial intelligence (AI) literacy in higher education. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, 31.
