This research endeavours to systematically investigate the multifaceted domain of AI literacy, given the pervasive impact of artificial intelligence on diverse facets of contemporary human existence. The inquiry is motivated by a fundamental question posed to educators: how best to cultivate AI literacies and competencies and how these proficiencies are structured and influenced. Employing a rigorous two-part methodology, the initial phase scrutinises 28 studies from the SCOPUS database, unveiling five distinct discourses germane to AI literacy. Subsequently, the second phase involves the administration of questionnaires to 73 students, whose responses undergo thematic analysis to discern patterns within the four domains delineated by Ng et al. The ensuing discourse underscores a pivotal revelation: despite formal adherence to established discourses, the conceptualisation of AI literacy necessitates a departure from conventional perspectives. Ethical principles, elucidated by students, emerge not merely as individual components but as integral facets of a broader societal literacy profile, thereby advocating a paradigm shift towards social reflection. This novel insight prompts a critical re-evaluation of AI literacy’s prevailing assumptions and conceptual frameworks, urging a transition towards models grounded in ecological or network dynamic interactionist principles.

The presented study aspires to utilize the gradually validated immense potential of collaborative immersive virtual environments (CIVEs) in higher education when designing and conducting geography lessons. These particular lessons focused on hypsography. A Research through Design approach and relevant qualitative methodology were used as we engaged two groups of domain experts (experienced geography teachers) to validate both the learning scenarios and the virtual environment we used. The lessons were administered via eDIVE—a novel platform for collaborative learning and teaching in virtual reality of our own design. The teachers underwent a hypsography virtual lesson and were randomly divided into two groups to be compared, which differed in the level of structure given to the lesson (one group received detailed instructions on what task they were to solve, while the other was given a free hand in exploring the environment and activities it afforded). The teachers’ experiences were then summarized in a post-lesson reflection and a subsequent focus group following the tasks. The participants’ expertise allowed insights to be gained into their first-hand experience as students, as well as their expert view of the lesson from an educational point of view. Virtual reality’s implementation into teaching practice was the key topic of the discussion.

Chatbots without artificial intelligence can play the role of practical and easy-to-implement learning objects in e-learning environments, allowing a reduction in social or psychological isolation. This research, with a sample of 79 students, explores the principles that need to be followed in designing this kind of chatbot in education in order to ensure an acceptable outcome for students. Research has shown that students interacting with a chatbot without artificial intelligence expect similar psychological and communicative responses to those of a live human, project the characteristics of the chatbot from the dialogue, and are taken aback when the chatbot does not understand or cannot help them sufficiently. The study is based on a design through research approach, in which students in information studies and library science interacted with a specific chatbot focused on information retrieval, and recorded their experiences and feelings in an online questionnaire. The study intends to find principles for the design of chatbots without artificial intelligence so that students feel comfortable interacting with them.

This study focuses on the analysis of changes in the digital competence profile of students of Information and Library Studies at Masaryk University in Czechia. As a research tool, we used the DigComp self-assessment questionnaire that students were asked to fill in after completing the course. Our research shows that students are insufficiently prepared for work as highly qualified information specialists. At the same time, we found that their competence profile remained very stable between 2018 and 2020. This finding indicates that students do not readily respond to new societal changes at the level of individual competences. The research results are based on data collected from 152 students during three runs of a compulsory course at the university. Information Science and Library Science students have long perceived their competences to be strongest in the domains of information and data literacy and communication and collaboration. Programming is the weakest competency among the competences, followed by solving technical problems and engaging in active citizenship through digital technologies. These findings can be used to innovate the curriculum to meet the demands of digitally competent information workers.

Information literacy can be seen as a fundamental prerequisite for a sustainable complex information society. As a lack of information literacy, information poverty represents a significant social and educational issue. Information literacy and information poverty will be the new dividing lines of a complex world, as the “rich north and poor south” metaphor became in the 20th century. A careful study of discourses in information literacy allows for effective educational and social policies aimed at its development. The aim of this study is to present an analysis of different approaches and discourses to define the concept of information literacy based on a review of papers from Web of Science. The study identifies four important directions of definitions or new grasps of information literacy, with an emphasis on social justice, the analysis of social and technological change, and a demand for higher quality information literacy education. Based on this analysis, the discourses present in the responses of undergraduate information studies and library science students (n = 132) collected between 2019 and 2022 are studied. The qualitative study shows that these underlying discourses are present in the students’ responses but, at the same time, offer specific perspectives on their fulfilment.