Usability and Academic Impact of AI Tools on Higher Education in Sri Lanka

Abstract

This study explores the perceived usefulness and usability of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools among university students in Sri Lanka and how these perceptions relate to learners’ performance. As AI adoption expands across different sectors of society, understanding its benefits in the educational context is especially important in developing countries like Sri Lanka. Using a quantitative approach, this research aims to measure students’ use of AI tools, assess their perceived usefulness for academic tasks, and analyze how these perceptions correlate with students’ self-reported academic performance. Descriptive analyses and statistical analyses, including correlation analysis, linear regression, t-tests, and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), were conducted to investigate the relationships between perceived AI benefits, usage patterns, academic performance, and demographic factors among university students in Sri Lanka. The findings are expected to reveal a positive relationship between perceptions of AI tool usage and improvements in student learning and performance, which would imply that AI could be a valuable resource in higher education. Additionally, the study will investigate demographic differences in perceptions of AI and its utilization. Ultimately, the results will provide concrete evidence to support the strategic design and structured implementation of an AI enhanced online learning platform in Sri Lankan universities, offering students a more innovative and effective learning experience. The findings of this study emphasize the importance of structured AI literacy programmes and policy level strategies for integrating AI tools into Sri Lankan higher education to enhance the learning quality.