Generative AI in the Online Classroom: Lessons from a Plant Physiology Course

Dan Ye, S. Pennisi, D. Jespersen, Chris Rich

TL;DR: This study investigates university students’ perceptions and uses of GenAI, analyzing its role in learning and its quantitative impact on academic performance and study efficiency in a plant physiology course, and offers practical strategies and reflections from the educators’ perspective on how best to integrate GenAI tools into teaching thoughtfully to enhance learning in horticulture.

Although the adoption of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in higher education is a reality, we are still in the early days of understanding how it can be used and applied in educational contexts. A significant gap remains in understanding its impacts within plant sciences, and in horticulture in particular. More research is needed to understand the overall impact of artificial intelligence on learning and teaching from educational perspectives, and to investigate how to integrate GenAI tools in education to ensure technology affects teaching and learning in a meaningful way on a broader scale. We investigated university students’ perceptions and uses of GenAI, analyzing its role in learning and its quantitative impact on academic performance and study efficiency in a plant physiology course. A quantitative research approach, including data from student surveys and the learning management system, was used. Descriptive statistics, independent sample t tests, and simple linear regression analyses were used for analysis. Our results indicate that although students report a positive attitude and learning experience when using GenAI tools, the differences in measured academic performance and study efficiency between the GenAI user and non-GenAI user groups were not statistically significant. This study offers practical strategies and reflections from the educators’ perspective on how best to integrate GenAI tools into teaching thoughtfully to enhance learning in horticulture.