Teachers’ and students’ use of ChatGPT at Social science faculty in the public and private Universities of Bangladesh

Introduction

ChatGPT, an AI technology bearding the GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) architecture, can reasonably improve the teaching and learning process due to its sage conversational capabilities (Baidoo-Anu & Ansah, 2023). It can provide translation, summary, and question answers, and simultaneously, the generation of texts automates pestering (Cotton et al., 2023). Unsupervised pre-training and controlled fine-tuning generate responses similar to what a human expert would say, displaying domain knowledge about various topics and answering questions accordingly. Textual data is gathered from various internet sources, including websites, articles, papers, and forums (Dwivedi et al., 2023). The most notable feature of ChatGPT is its ability to generate text. Within just three months of the collective release of ChatGPT, significant numbers of software engineers, authors, academics, teachers, and songwriters used the system to generate written content, academic essays, computer programs, applications, and song lyrics (Mariani et al., 2023). ChatGPT-4 has continued to be developed, and today, it is used across different applications, including education worldwide. It also helps promoting students' educational experiences through tailored coaching and support. Implementing this technology has advanced student engagement and collaboration by allowing students to question and debate asynchronously, removing the need to be simultaneously present (Li & Xing, 2021). ChatGPT can help teachers and students discuss complex ideas at their desired speed. It also helps with administrative tasks such as responding to commonly asked questions, providing course materials, and managing scheduling or registration tasks. Universities can utilize ChatGPT to improve student engagement by providing continuous support and accelerating administrative processes (Biswas, 2023).

However, despite these advantages, some important issues must be remembered before utilizing ChatGPT. When it is iused for educational assessment, the concern of plagiarism arises. AI essay-writing systems produce essays based on predetermined parameters or guiding principles. They can commit academic fraud forgery by submitting plagiarized content write-ups. It counters the key central idea of education, which is to educate and inspire learners, and it could undermine the credibility of academic degrees in the coming years (Dehouche, 2021). So, the role of ChatGPT in education has sparked and initiated one of the most talked about debates in academia. Further research is needed to determine ChatGPT adoption in developed and developing countries. An in-depth analysis shows that comparatively, more affluent countries are moving quickly on the chatbots issue and developing ways to leverage it for education. However, developing countries such as Bangladesh need to focus on this. Because technologies do not have borders, understanding the utilization of ChatGPT by a diverse country like Bangladesh could provide a worldwide perspective of the benefits and challenges of adopting and adapting AI technologies in multiple socio-cultural and economic environments. Bangladesh is a developing country where the educational system is being modernized, and technology is being introduced in the classrooms of public and private universities (Sarker et al., 2019).

Recently, many tertiary level teachers and students of Bangladesh thave been found interested in using ChatGPT. By focusing on this specific context, the study aims to bring insight into the perception and integration of emerging advanced technology such as ChatGPT into the educational practices of an emerging country. Focusing on Bangladesh as a specific research context, the study aspires to produce meaningful and enlightening knowledge for the worldwide community. In the backdrop of social science faculty at the public and private universities of Bangladesh, where teaching and personalized learning pathways are of great importance, it is essential to address teachers' and students' use of ChatGPT. Comparatively, the educational system of Bangladesh has its drawbacks, with large classroom setups, shortage of resources, and potentially low student participation (Prodhan, 2016). These issues may be mitigated through ChatGPT, which provides personalized support, immediate feedback, and a highly interactive learning environment. Understanding key stakeholders' perceptions and the use of ChatGPT is crucial to harness this technology effectively. Under this circumstance, getting insight into teachers' and students' perspectives on employing ChatGPT cannot be neglected because they are an indispensable part of the teaching-learning process.

There is a lack of knowledge about the perceptions and use of ChatGPT among teachers and students in the general settings of social science faculty at public and private universities in Bangladesh. This study aims to fill this knowledge gap. In order to comprehensively evaluate the potential and challenges of implementing ChatGPT in the teaching-learning process in developing countries such as Bangladesh, it is crucial to gain insights into teachers' and students' perceptions and usage of ChatGPT. Understanding the perspectives and usage of ChatGPT by teachers and students at social science faculty in developing nations on ChatGPT is essential to ensure its implementation aligns with their specific needs and circumstances. Thus, the objective of this study is to investigate the perceptions and usage of ChatGPT by teachers and students of the social science faculty at public and private universities in Bangladesh.

Theoretical framework

This study is grounded in the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model, which posits four core constructs such as performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions that are theorized to shape the acceptance and usage of technology (Venkatesh et al., 2003). Performance expectancy is defined as the extent to which ChatGPT is perceived to improve educational outcomes, such as improving teaching efficiency for teachers or helping students during the learning process. Effort expectancy answers how easily teachers and students can leverage ChatGPT effectively during their studies. The social influence reflects the effect of peers, faculty, and institutional norms on the decisions of individuals to adopt ChatGPT. Finally, facilitating conditions are the resources and support at the educational institution that enable the use of ChatGPT, such as training or technical support. Along with these constructs, the UTAUT model added two vital outcomes: behavioral intention and actual use (Rofiah & Suhermin, 2022). The teachers’ and students’ perceptions and how they use ChatGPT were guided by behavioral intention and actual use outcomes to fulfill the objectives of this study ( Figure 1).

Figure 1. Theoretical framework of this study.

This figure delineates the theoretical framework that guides this study. This framework is based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model proposed by Venkatesh et al. (2003).

Methods

This study followed a mixed method approach combining both quantitative and qualitative data to get a comprehensive understanding of teachers’ and students’ perception and usage of ChatGPT in social science faculty of both public and private unviersities in Bangladesh. This approach allow the researchers to generalize the perception and usage of ChatGPT by teachers and students along with the exploration of underlying views, experiences, and contextual factors of adapting ChatGPT. Heyvaert et al. (2013) argue that mixed-methods research is crucial because it combines quantitative data with qualitative data, which may provide a holistic understanding of complex phenomena. This strategy allows for a more in-depth exploration of findings. As a result, this study followed a mixed-method approach to generalize social science faculty teachers' and students' perceptions and use of ChatGPT in Bangladesh and also to comprehensively get an in-depth scenario of their experiences, strategies, and interactions. Two survey questionnaires were generated for both teachers and students. Each survey question contains twenty-six items and is prepared on a five-point Likert scale. In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the perspectives of teachers and students from public and private universities in Bangladesh, interviews were carried out. As a theoretical framework, the UTAUT model helps to guide the preparation of questionnaires and the interpretation of the findings. However, no copyrighted survey items or scales from the proprietary UTAUT instrument were used in this study; rather, the model was adapted conceptually to develop data collection tools and also cited properly.

Forty teachers and fifty-three students participated in the piloting of two surveys. While the students' survey had a Cronbach's alpha of 0.833, the teachers' survey had a Cronbach's alpha of 0.877. These results show that both questionnaires are highly reliable for gathering data. A stratified sampling technique was used to collect online survey data. In terms of sample size, data were collected from the social science faculties of sixteen universities, including eight public and eight private universities. In total, 402 teachers and 440 students' survey data were collected from these social science faculties, though after data cleaning, 381 teachers' data and 384 students' data were prevailed. Gender and other demographic issues were considered to collect data. Then data was analyzed through IBM SPSSversion 27 (IBM Corp, 2021) (https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/downloading-ibm-spss-statistics-27). For researchers who seek an open-source alternative, can use, JASP for similar data analysis. JASP is an open-access software (available at https://jasp-stats.org/).

In terms of qualitative data, a convenient sampling technique was used for conducting in-depth interviews. A total of 32 interviews were conducted, involving 16 teachers and 16 students. Two teachers, and two students from each university were selected. The interviews were recorded with permission.

Research objectives were explained to the participants and commitment of conserving privacy of the participants in every aspects of the research were declared. Interviews were taken only those who willingly showed interest to participate in the study. Each interview lasted for 35 to 40 minutes. After collecting data, every recorded interview was transcribed verbatim. Next, all Bengali transcriptions were converted into English and was sent these to a Bengali and English language specialist to ensure the accuracy of the translation.

Researchers completed transcriptions after getting the translator's input. The research employed the thematic qualitative data analysis technique to identify patterns and theme to understand the real situation deeply (Braun & Clarke, 2006). In accordance with the six stages of data analysis outlined by Braun and Clarke (2006), researchers first became acquainted with the data before creating preliminary codes from it. At this point, they adopted the strategy of “reading, reading and reading again” (Mertler, 2009, p. 141) to examine all narrative data. Researchers looked for new themes in the third step, and then went over the themes again in the fourth. At the fifth step, many themes were identified and given names, and a report was ultimately generated. Since researchers moved from the facts to a theoretical understanding, they used an inductive approach to qualitative data analysis (Graneheim, Lindgren, & Lundman, 2017).

In order to assure the dependability of analysis and reporting conclusions, researchers considered the criterion of utilizing low-inference descriptors (Silverman, 2011). According to Johnson (1997), low-inference descriptors refer to the practice of using descriptions that closely resemble the accounts provided by participants and the field notes of researchers. Direct quotations, known as verbatim, are frequently utilized as a low inference descriptor. Considering this approach, researchers diligently transcribed the recordings and incorporated substantial data samples into the research conclusions (Johnson, 1997; Silverman, 2011).

Findings

The following ( Table 1) demonstrates the demographic information of the teachers.

Regarding the demography of teachers , it was found that public universities represented the majority of participants that is 53% of the 381 participants, while private universities represented 47%. In terms of gender, male participants accounted for 54% and female for 46%. Academically, assistant professors led by 38.8%, followed by lecturers of 34.6%, while associate professors and full professors made up 16.3% and 10.2%, respectively. Breaking it down by department, results found Economics to be the most represented discipline of 26%, followed by Political Science of 21%. Moreover, Mass Communication and Journalism, and Public Administration each accounted for 14.7% of the sample, and participants from the Anthropology department accounted for only 1%. The majorities, 79.3% of teachers, have a free version of ChatGPT, and 20.7% have a premium version.

The following table ( Table 2) demonstrates the demographic information of the students.

From the demography of students, it has been found that 55.5% were from public universities and 44.5% from private universities. The study includes the same gender distribution, with males constituting 55.5% and females 44.5%. Regarding the academic level, 53.6% of the respondents were graduate students, and 46.4% were post-graduate students. Mass Communication and Journalism was the most represented department in this study with 12.8% of students, followed by International Relationships (10.7%) and Public Administration (10.4%). Development Studies was the least represented department with1.6%. As for the usage of ChatGPT, 97.1% students utilized the free version, and merely 2.9% were premium users.

Teachers’ responses to the survey are presented in Table 3.

Teachers considered ChatGPT positively regarding its effective integration into enhancing teaching materials (M=3.51, SD=0.807), easy use (M=3.58, SD=0.809), and less effort required for incorporation into the teaching methods (M=3.48, SD=0.841). ChatGPT was frequently used to generate teaching materials (M=3.73, SD=1.089) and to check the accuracy of information (M=3.88, SD=0.931) but rated lower for helping with complex research (e.g., literature reviews and methods) (M=2.91, SD=0.858). The confidence level for using ChatGPT for research was relatively low (M=2.80, SD=0.955). Teachers also reported low levels of institutional support (M=2.49, SD=0.996) and policy guidance for ethical use (M=2.47, SD=1.017). Similarly, colleagues' support (M=2.69, SD=0.929) and financial support for premium usage (M=2.42, SD=1.075) were presented as insufficient. Teachers intended to continue using ChatGPT (M=3.62, SD=1.023) and use it more (M=3.68, SD=0.967). They often thought about ethical risks (M=3.59, SD=0.944) and accuracy verification (M=3.88, SD=0.931), indicating a cautious optimism. They proactively sought training opportunities (M=3.81, SD=1.043) and were careful of excessive reliance on ChatGPT for creativity (M=3.82, SD=1.015).

Students’ response to the items is shown in Table 4.

ChatGPT led to increased efficiency for students and better comprehension of the course material as students reported. It was beneficial with more complex subjects (M=4.47, SD=0.625) and ideas for project generation (M=4.44, SD=0.769). Furthermore, ChatGPT quickly and accurately helped with tasks (M=4.47, SD=0.729). Students often used it to complete assignments (M=4.31, SD=0.591) and prepare presentations (M=4.07, SD=1.078). Moreover, students reported ease of use when integrating ChatGPT into their academic activities, highlighting the low effort to use ChatGPT effectively (M=4.15, SD=1.051). They deemed themselves reasonably competent in using ChatGPT (M=4.17, SD=0.745) and frequently sought advice and tutorials from ChatGPT (M=3.89, SD=0.890). Moreover, Peer support for the use of ChatGPT was widespread (M=4.18, SD=1.066), but institutional support was perceived as insufficient. Clear ethical use standards (M=2.14, SD=1.039) and IT assistance provided by the universities (M=2.53, SD=1.006) received noticeably low ratings. Although indicating a sustained uptake of ChatGPT in academic settings, students expressed moderate to high intentions for continuous use (M = 3.49, SD = 1.035) and more future utilization (M = 3.41, SD = 1.116), they were cautious about overreliance (M=3.16, SD=0.959) and still focused on creativity and academic integrity.

Table 5 shows the descriptive statistics according to six constructs.

The study uncovered distinct patterns among the six variables (PE, EE, SI, FC, BI, AU) highlighting differences in perceptions between the students and the teachers of different public and private universities. In terms of performance expectancy (PE), students at public universities had the highest mean (M=4.36, SD=0.58) for the usefulness of the system for improving performance. Students enrolled in private universities showed a mean score of 4.20 (SD=0.62). Public and private university teachers scored significantly less than the overall score (public university teachers: M=3.72, SD=0.64; private university teachers: M=3.60, SD=0.68). Furthermore, the effort expectancy (EE) trends mirrored those for Performance Expectancy (PE). Public university students obtained the highest (M=4.28, SD=0.57), followed by private university students (M=4.15, SD=0.59). The average score of the public universities teachers EE was 3.68 (SD=0.65), while the lowest average score, 3.55 (SD=0.70), belongs to the private universities teachers. On the other hand, students from a private university showed the maximum mean score (M=3.85, SD=0.64) with the most significant perception of societal pressure to use the system, while public university students had a mean score of 3.72 (SD=0.63). Teachers scored lower on this construct— public university teachers scoring an average of 3.25 (SD=0.60) and private university teachers scoring an average of 3.18 (SD=0.65).

For the facilitating conditions (FC), scores were relatively low across all groups, reflecting a consensus on a lack of support/resources. The students from public universities scored slightly higher (M=3.12, SD=0.75) than those from private university students (M=3.05, SD=0.72). Teachers showed the lowest ratings: teachers in public universities (M=2.95, SD=0.68) and private universities (M=2.90, SD=0.70). However, unlike other constructs, teachers had a higher behavioral intention (BI) than students. The highest mean score (M=4.10, SD=0.65) was identified for public university teachers, followed by private university teachers (M=4.00, SD=0.68). Still, public university students scored an average of 3.88 (SD=0.66), and private university students scored an average of 3.80 (SD=0.68). Lastly, regarding actual use (AU), having little variability, all groups were impressively consistent in how they scored. Public university teachers averaged 3.75 (SD=0.58), slightly ahead of private university teachers (M=3.70, SD=0.60). Students showed similar relative scores, with average scores of public university students of 3.68 (SD=0.63) and private university students of 3.65 (SD=0.64).

The one-way ANOVA indicates that the differences between groups are significant for the constructs of Performance Expectancy (PE), Effort Expectancy (EE), and Social Influence (SI) (p <. 001 for each. PE between-group data showed substantial variation (Sum of Squares = 204.717, F(3, 761) = 234.430, p <. 001), indicating substantial group-level differences. EE also showed significant differences (Sum of Squares = 182.140, F(3, 761) = 147.827, p <. 001) and SI (Sum of Squares = 144.782, F (3, 761) = 111.399, p <. 001). Behavioral Intention (BI) was significantly changed, but less strong effect (Sum of Squares = 7.806, F(3, 761) = 4.302, p =. 005). However, no statistically significant differences were found for Facilitating Conditions (FC) (F(3, 761) = 1.613, p =. 185) or Actual Use (AU) (F(3, 761) = 1.051, p =. 369), indicating that attitudes for these categories were consistent across groups. The results deliver a unique overview of multifaceted heterogeneity in users' attitudes and intentions across multiple cohorts and common challenges in favoring conditions and actual usage behavior, especially regarding perceived usefulness, ease of use, and social influence.

Tukey's HSD post hoc analysis showed significant group-level differences across constructs. Performance Expectancy (PE) and Effort Expectancy (EE): Students in both public and private universities scored higher than teachers (p <. 001), where the highest scorers were the students of public universities. Students outperformed teachers (p <. 001) based on Social Influence (SI), whereas private university students performed the best. By Behavioral Intention (BI): the teachers outscored students, and public university teachers outscored private university teachers. However, the difference was not statistically significant. These findings may suggest a greater propensity for teachers to apply the system and a more excellent perception amongst students of its utility and use.

Findings from Qualitative analysis

The following figure ( Figure 2) demonstrates a comprehensive framework developed from thematic analysis of qualitative data.

Figure 2. Comprehensive framework from thematic analysis.

This figure illustrates a comprehensive framework of this study, which emerged from the thematic analysis of qualitative data from 16 teachers and 16 students in in-depth interviews. It highlights seven key themes, including knowledge, attitude, and skills; influence on performance; effort to use ChatGPT; support and Accessibility; Social Influence; concerns for using ChatGPT; and challenges for intention and use of ChatGPT.

Discussion

Bangladesh, as a developing nation, is undergoing through a transformation since it has been trying to integrate technology into several sectors, including education. The swift progress in Natural Language Processing technology has allowed educational institutions to consider incorporating innovative ways of instruction and learning. Teachers and students in the tertiary educational institutions at Bangladoesh use ChatGPT for their academic needs. According to this study, students of both public and private universities use ChatGPT as a highly immersive platform, demonstrating a high-performance expectation across the platform. This finding aligns with the research done by Limna et al. (2023), which found that students think ChatGPT helps them learn complex subjects. However, performance expectancy scores were lower for teachers than students at both public and private universities. This discrepancy can result from teachers' cautious views regarding ChatGPT's effects on learning environments. According to study by Kasneci et al. (2023), teachers are more suspicious about the practical usage of ChatGPT in teaching and research, even when students adapt it to some degree due to possible benefits. According to the effort expectancy results for both student groups of this study, ChatGPT was user-friendly. This is in line with Ollivier et al. (2023), who highlight how easy it may be for students to use AI tools. Both public and private university teachers’ have moderate level effort expectancy scores that also reflected in Sok and Heng (2023) study while they resonates with the need for professional development that can boost confidence and ease of use of AI.

Social influence is an important factor for ChatGPT usage. The findings show a moderate social influence on students' use of ChatGPT, indicating that peer support plays a significant role in students' engagement with AI tools. These findings support earlier research suggesting that classroom social dynamics significantly influence students' use of technology (Winstone & Boud, 2022). On the other hand, both teacher groups scored lower on social influence, indicating that their institutions and peers don't encourage them to use ChatGPT. Dawa et al. (2023) emphasize that positive feedback from colleagues increases teachers' ChatGPT usage and encourages them to adopt it. ChatGPT usage also depends on some facilitating conditions. All teachers and student groups have identified the availability of technology resources and the institution's support for using ChatGPT in an educational setting as barriers and poor facilitating conditions. This is consistent with studies by Limna et al. (2023) that highlight the need to have sufficient infrastructure and support mechanisms to ensure successful technology integration. These results also highlight a critical area for educational institutions to address since the potential benefits of AI technologies for teaching and learning might be seriously hampered by a lack of supportive environments.

Teachers exhibited a stronger behavioral intention to use ChatGPT than their students, although students in both groups expressed a modest intention to use ChatGPT in the future. This means teachers are more committed to employing these tools in their practices, even when students desire to use them. This result is consistent with studies that indicate teachers are beginning to recognize the benefits of using AI tools to improve their teaching (Ollivier et al., 2023). However, it also emphasizes how crucial ongoing assistance and training are to guarantee this commitment. According to the actual use scores of this study, both groups of students frequently utilize ChatGPT for various academic assignments, which highlight how actively they engage with AI technologies in their studies. This is also consistent with research by Limna et al. (2023) that shows students want to use technology to improve their educational experiences. Though their ratings were lower than those of students, teacher usage rates were also quite high, suggesting impediments to integration into teaching roles that are in line with Sok and Heng's (2023) findings.

In addition to the various benefits of employing ChatGPT for academic purposes, a few teachers agree that the utilization of ChatGPT carries specific adverse ramifications for both teachers and students. Excessive comfort in working environments may hinder pupils' intellectual maturation by suppressing their need to engage in critical thinking. Moreover, Bai et al. (2023) found that an overabundance of ChatGPT usage leads to a diminished ability to engage in critical thinking. ChatGPT has been identified as the cause of decreased memory recall. Furthermore, it might also hinder the professional growth of educators. Teachers at private universities utilize ChatGPT to enhance their lecture preparation and expand their expertise in various subjects. Conversely, teachers at public universities believe that ChatGPT's knowledge base is limited and primarily receptive rather than comprehensive. Garg et al. (2023) and Spennemann (2023) claim that though ChatGPT is receptive to information, its capacity to provide extensive knowledge on certain subjects is very constrained.

According to Castillo et al. (2023), most students utilize ChatGPT due to its rapidity and precision, which benefit their learning process. Being a user from Bangladesh, individuals occasionally need some help due to the limitations of ChatGPT in providing proper responses in the Bangla language. It frequently misinterprets orders given in Bangla, which aligns with the research conducted by Kolar and Kumar (2023) on Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada. Furthermore, the requirement of a ChatGPT Plus subscription presents an additional obstacle to utilizing ChatGPT. Bangladesh is classified as a lower-middle-income country. In Bangladesh, there are lots of resource constraints to use online for teaching-learning like network issues, internet connectivity and speed, financial barriers (Rahman et al., 2023). Hernandez (2019) posits that the financial constraints faced by hinder its ability to adapt technology in several sectors where it is required effectively. Similarly, most teachers and students in Bangladesh need help to afford the expensive fees associated with premium usage, primarily due to budgetary constraints. Consequently, consumers encounter numerous problems when using the free edition of ChatGPT.

ChatGPT has been found to exhibit inaccuracies or misinformation. Since it can autonomously provide information that could be more reliable, furthermore, it occasionally shows a deficiency in comprehending the context of a query, leading to the provision of irrelevant responses. Moreover, it generates content that is speculative or fictional. Nevertheless, despite all the constraints, the students use ChatGPT without considering its drawbacks. As students get more familiar with digital tools, they may need to pay more attention to the increasing prevalence of faults in academic procedures. However, teachers have limitations in assessing the authenticity of their students' assignments, reports, and monographs because of the absence of plagiarism detection systems and their limited accessibility. Consequently, adhering to institutional regulations and guidelines is necessary to utilize ChatGPT. Limna et al. (2023) have highlighted the necessity of establishing an institutional policy to mitigate the disadvantages associated with using ChatGPT.

Teachers possess knowledge of the potential limitations of ChatGPT when used in educational settings. Despite their continual usage, they have concerns that it may hinder their capacity to learn autonomously and resolve issues. Contemporary educators utilize ChatGPT to confine their expertise to a particular domain, unlike their predecessors, who would amass their information by perusing several books, publications, and articles. The overreliance on ChatGPT may undermine teachers' capacity for critical thinking and independent inquiry. Teachers express concerns about their students' overreliance on technology and artificial intelligence. Consequently, students' cognitive skills, such as critical thinking and problem-solving, may be impaired. Nevertheless, there is a consensus among both educators and learners that educational establishments can mitigate the adverse consequences by fostering critical thinking, digital literacy, well-balanced incorporation of AI technology, and ethical considerations. Explicit policies must be formulated and executed to utilize ChatGPT in educational and research endeavors.

Conclusion

This study endeavors to investigate the perception and use of ChatGPT by social science faculty teachers and students at public and private universities in Bangladesh for instructional purposes. This study reveals several noteworthy concerns that require further contemplation and examination. The study's findings suggest that while the majority of students in both public and private universities demonstrate proficiency in utilizing ChatGPT, there exists a notable discrepancy in the expertise levels of teachers. Moreover, teachers hold divergent perspectives on using ChatGPT, with some displaying enthusiasm while others expressing skepticism. Nevertheless, students at both types of universities view ChatGPT favorably for a range of educational endeavors and learning prospects, such as improved knowledge and research capabilities. Students from both private and public universities affirm that utilizing ChatGPT improves their learning outcomes and positively impacts their academic achievement. ChatGPT is also helpful for teachers. It enhances their teaching efficacy by assisting in class planning and providing comprehensive expertise on the subject matter.

Nevertheless, owing to the exorbitant cost of ChatGPT premium, users resort to utilizing the free version that offers restricted functionalities. Robust networks and high-speed internet are essential for enhancing the accessibility of ChatGPT. Furthermore, the efficiency of the English language and the limitations of other languages pose a significant obstacle to its effective utilization. This study also investigates the apprehension regarding the dependability of information offered by ChatGPT due to potential misinterpretation of queries. Furthermore, the ethical applications need to be more credible due to the absence of citations. While teachers express concerns over the ethical implications of utilizing ChatGPT and the potential for excessive reliance on it, students from both public and private universities still need to be made aware of these difficulties. After carefully examining and establishing a significant relationship between these findings and the broader implications of the research, it is clear that it is essential to eliminate barriers, including addressing ethical concerns, to ensure equitable access to ChatGPT and harness its potential to enhance the quality of teaching, learning, and research in higher education. Future research should explore novel approaches to overcome these challenges and maximize the benefits of ChatGPT in various educational settings.

Ethical approval statement

This study adhered to the ethical guidelines in the Declaration of Helsinki and received approval from the Institute of Education and Research Human Research Ethics Committee (IERHREC) with approval number 2023/01 on 10/02/2023. The protocol for the study was reviewed to ensure its adherence to ethical norms governing research involving humans. This review encompassed the protocol's aims, methodology, and informed consent processes. All individuals who took part in this study provided their consent before participating, and their confidentiality and privacy rights were protected during every stage of the research procedure. All potential risks to the participants were minimized.

Informed consent

Researchers informed the study objectives and privacy conservation issue to the participants and provided written consent letter to the participants. After getting consent from the participants, researchers collected data.

Authors contribution statement

Conceptualization and planning by 1^st author, tools development by 2^nd author, data collection and data analysis by 3^rd and 4^th author; writing introduction, literature review, and implication by 1^st author, theoretical framework and methodology by 2^nd author, discussion by 3^rd author, conclusion by 4^th author; supervision, review and editing by 1^st and 2^nd author. All authors read the manuscript thoroughly and agreed to submit and publish in this journal.