UNDERSTANDING FIRST-YEAR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN EXPLORING ACADEMIC INFORMATION IN THE AI ERA

Abstract

The rapid evolution of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) has introduced a pedagogical paradox in higher education: while these tools streamline routine tasks, they potentially threaten students’ academic integrity and foster overreliance. In the Indonesian context, while vague institutional regulations often persist, early-semester undergraduate students are left with limited guidance to navigate digital literacy challenges. This study aimed to examine how freshmen integrate GAI into academic information-seeking behaviors and the extent to which institutional policy shapes these practices. Employing a mixed-methods design, the research began with a quantitative trend-mapping survey of 20 early-year undergraduate students in Indonesia. The findings reveal that students do not replace traditional research with AI; instead, they utilize GAI as a complementary integration for retrieving academic information. Furthermore, institutional intervention was found to highly correlate with increased ethical awareness among students, underscoring the significance of clear AI policy as an institutional scaffolding that supports a responsible digital academic ecosystem for the future. To complement and further validate the survey findings, the subsequent phase of this study will incorporate in-depth interviews, enabling a deeper exploration of students' experiences, perceptions, and ethical decision-making regarding the use of GAI in academic information retrieval.