Higher education teachers’ perspectives on the ethical challenges of using artificial intelligence—a case study in the Alto Alentejo region, Portugal
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22165366 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ana Paula Oliveira (0000-0002-9522-7237, Department of Health and Social Care), Margarida Coelho (0000-0002-2918-9025, Portuguese Army), Orlanda Póvoa (0000-0001-6302-1552, Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre), Bruno Morgado (0000-0002-9931-3677, Department of Health and Social Care), Carla Guerra (0000-0002-1709-2226, Polytechnic University of Portalegre), Cristina Gama Guerra (Life Quality Research Centre) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Publication date | 2026-02-27 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2504-284X • E-ISSN: 2504-284X |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/feduc.2026.1780142 |
| OpenAlex | W7131782171 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 15 |
Background The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly generative AI, in higher education is transforming teaching, learning, and assessment practices, while simultaneously raising ethical concerns related to academic integrity, authorship, and critical thinking. Understanding teachers’ ethical perceptions is essential for responsible AI integration in academic environments. Methods A mixed-methods, cross-sectional study was conducted, combining quantitative descriptive and correlational analyses with qualitative content analysis. Data were collected through an online questionnaire ad-ministered to 119 professors from a Portuguese higher education institution in the Alto Alentejo region. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests, and open-ended responses were examined using thematic content analysis. Results The findings reveal widespread use of AI tools among professors, mainly for pedagogical content creation and document summarization. The most frequently identified ethical challenges were authorship and plagiarism, academic integrity, misinformation, and lack of regulation. Younger and female professors reported higher levels of self-reported ethical awareness indicators, while no significant association was found between frequency of AI use and ethical sensitivity. Qualitative analysis highlighted concerns related to critical thinking, assessment fairness, and the preservation of human-centered pedagogy. Conclusion This study examines higher education professors’ ethical awareness regarding the use of artificial intelligence, focusing on perceived ethical challenges, knowledge of ethical principles, and experiences with ethical dilemmas
Content analysis · Descriptive statistics · Ethical issues · Higher education · Perception · Portuguese · Qualitative research · Thematic analysis · Academic integrity and plagiarism · Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Education · Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
Generative AI in Higher Education
Addressing student use of generative AI in schools and universities through academic integrity reporting
AI in higher education
Artificial intelligence for higher education
Flipped Micro-Modules for Teaching Sustainable Engineering Practices
The impact of generative AI on academic integrity of authentic assessments within a higher education context
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |