Promoting the Ethical and Appropriate Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in STEM Subjects at a University
An Opportunity for Increased Classroom Collaboration Between Lecturers and Librarians?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29173/istl2935Keywords:
Artificial Intelligence, Information literacy, Liaison librarians, Library collaboration, Science & technology libraries, STEM faculty, STEM librarians, UniversityAbstract
This paper considers the educational benefits of ongoing collaboration between university lecturers and librarians supporting students within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The particular focus of the paper is the collaborative provision of guidance on the appropriate and ethical use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools for academic work. This paper makes a new contribution to the literature because it explores the working relationship between librarians and faculty colleagues in an information landscape influenced by quickly developing AI technology. The authors comprise two lecturers supporting engineering and sport science subject areas, together with their respective academic liaison librarians. The authors collaborate on student support, which is a partnership seldom experienced within STEM subjects at the university. The paper argues that providing students advice on the appropriate and ethical use of artificial intelligence in higher education may act as a driver for increased collaboration between STEM lecturers and librarians.
Downloads
References
Bower, M., Torrington, J., Lai, J. W. M., Petocz, P., & Alfano, M. (2024). How should we change teaching and assessment in response to increasingly powerful generative Artificial Intelligence? Outcomes of the ChatGPT teacher survey. Education and Information Technologies, 29, 15403–15439. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12405-0
Burke, J. L. C., Novosel, E. C., Kipnis, D. G., & Jayesekere, R. R. (2025). Adding Libraries to the Equation: Mathematical Sciences’ Underutilization of Academic Librarians. Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship, 110. https://doi.org/10.29173/istl2857
Carroll, A. J., & Borycz, J. (2024). Integrating large language models and generative artificial intelligence tools into information literacy instruction. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 50(4), Article 102899. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2024.102899
Clemons, A., Gross, B., Young, B., & Lyles, K. (2025). Awareness, application, augmentation: An approach to data literacy education in academic libraries. Public Services Quarterly, 21(1), 9-29. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228959.2024.2434459
Colón-Aguirre, M., & Bright, K. (2025). The inevitability of AI: a study of undergraduate students’ perceptions of AI tools in their future careers. Information Research, 30(iConf), 443-449. https://doi.org/10.47989/ir30iConf47308
Cox, A. M., & Mazumdar, S. (2024). Defining artificial intelligence for librarians. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 56(2), 330-340. https://doi.org/10.1177/09610006221142029
Hodonu-Wusu, J. O. (2025). The rise of artificial intelligence in libraries: the ethical and equitable methodologies, and prospects for empowering library users. AI and Ethics, 5, 755–765. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-024-00432-7
Johnston, H., Eaton, M., Henry, I., Deeley, E-M., & Parsons, B. N. (2025). Discovering how students use generative artificial intelligence tools for academic writing purposes. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (34). https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi34.1301
Lewis, J. D. (2025). Integrating AI tools into Stem Research. In Holland, B. J., (Ed.) Handbook of Trends and Innovations Concerning Library and Information Science: A Multidisciplinary Approach (25-52). De Gruyter Saur. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111443003-002
Lubowitz, J. H. (2023). ChatGPT, an Artificial Intelligence Chatbot, is Impacting Medical Literature. Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery, 39(5), 1121–1122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arthro.2023.01.015
Mhlanga, D. (2023). Open AI in education, the Responsible and Ethical Use of ChatGPT Towards Lifelong Learning. (SSRN Scholarly Paper 4354422). Social Science Research Network. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4354422
Oddone, K., Garrison, K., & Gagen-Spriggs, K. (2024). Navigating Generative AI: The Teacher Librarian’s Role in Cultivating Ethical and Critical Practices. Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association, 73(1), 3-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/24750158.2023.2289093
Svensson, T., Wilk, J., & Åman, K. G. (2022). Information literacy skills and learning gaps– Students’ experiences and teachers’ perceptions in interdisciplinary environmental science. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 48(1), Article 102465. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2021.102465
Torres, J. M. (2024). Leveraging ChatGPT and bard for academic librarians and information professionals: a case study of developing pedagogical strategies using generative AI models. Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship, 29(3), 169-182 https://doi.org/10.1080/08963568.2024.2321729
Xie, S., & Savory, E. (2022). Information Literacy Instruction in Engineering Graduate Courses: Instructional Design and Reflection. Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship, 101. https://doi.org/10.29173/istl2725
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 David John Matthews, Alex Wheeler, Haydn A. Insley, Dr Chris Mackintosh
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
While ISTL has always been open access and authors have always retained the copyright of their papers without restrictions, articles in issues prior to no.75 were not licensed with Creative Commons licenses. Since issue no. 75 (Winter 2014), ISTL has licensed its work through Creative Commons licenses. Please refer to the Copyright and Licensing Information page for more information.
