Mapping the Generative AI Research in Higher Education

2022–2024 Insights

Bibliographic Data

ID21592500
AuthorsIsak Froumin (0000-0001-9228-3770, Constructor University Bremen Germany), Anton Vorochkov (0000-0003-1219-8635, Research Group on Supranational Education Policies Autonomous University of Madrid Madrid Spain), Margarita Kiryushina (0000-0002-4576-5926, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology Technion Israel Institute of Technology Haifa Israel), Daria Platonova (0000-0002-8798-3243, Constructor Knowledge Labs, Constructor University Bremen Germany, corresponding author), Evgeniy Terentev (0000-0002-3438-2786, Institute of Education HSE University Moscow Russia)
Year2026
Volume80
Issue1
Publication date2026-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHigher Education Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0951-5224 • E-ISSN: 1468-2273
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/hequ.70075
OpenAlexW4416227246
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited33

This study analyses over 4000 publications, including those from 2024, indexed in the Scopus database, aiming to describe the landscape of the growing body of research exploring the role of generative AI in higher education. We followed an inclusive approach to publication formats and languages, incorporating not only traditional peer‐reviewed articles but also conference proceedings and preprints. Our analysis focuses on two key dimensions—general characteristics of publications, including publication types, journals, subject areas, countries, languages, and collaboration patterns—and content analysis, covering topics, methodologies, and sentiment. Among the main findings, we identify that the majority of studies focus on individual‐level analysis, with a lack of comparative institutional‐ and national‐level perspectives. Clear regional clusters of AI research have emerged, but a significant gap remains in the form of comparative studies. Topic‐wise, there is a visible shift from the technical capabilities of AI systems to their practical implementation, ethical concerns, and integration into educational frameworks. Finally, although the field anticipates the use of advanced research methods, most studies still rely on isolated case studies, surveys and simple experimental designs

Generative grammar · Generative model · Scopus · Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Education · Ethics and Social Impacts of AI · Online Learning and Analytics

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