Enhancing Student Engagement Through Artificial Intelligence (AI): Understanding the Basics, Opportunities, and Challenges

The proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and chatbots has the potential to significantly reshape higher education. It is now imperative for stakeholders in this sector to grasp the fundamental aspects of AI technologies and understand their implications. This paper not only introduces basic AI concepts but also explains their specific applications and relevance in the higher education context. Moreover, it outlines the prospects of using AI technologies and chatbots to boost student engagement, presenting a synthesis of the opportunities available. Concurrently, we discuss the concerns and challenges associated with integrating AI into higher education settings. Several articles included in this special issue explore these opportunities and challenges from diverse viewpoints and within various contexts, across countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, Cyprus, and GCC nations. Finally, we propose several avenues for future research aimed at enhancing student engagement through AI, charting a path forward for empirical evidence and practical application of AI and chatbots in enhancing student engagement.