Most AI implementations in undergraduate higher education sit at the SAMR Substitution or Augmentation levels, with fewer Modification cases and one Redefinition¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · recheck by 2031: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Across 22 included studies, most AI applications were categorized at the Substitution and Augmentation tiers, a limited number exhibited Modification, and a few achieved Redefinition. → AlSheikh MH 2026

Evidence¶

AlSheikh MH 2026¶

AlSheikh MH, Zaini R, ALmulhem MA and Ahmad S (2026). Mapping artificial intelligence integration in higher education: a systematic review using the FACETS and SAMR frameworks. Front. Educ. 11:1871468. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2026.1871468

q3 · i? · review · r2

Systematic review of 22 studies of AI in undergraduate higher education, coded with the SAMR model during data extraction. The narrative synthesis reports most applications at "the Substitution and Augmentation tiers", with generative AI mainly replacing or enhancing existing tools and feedback mechanisms.

"When scrutinized through the SAMR model lens, most artificial intelligence applications were categorized within the Substitution and Augmentation tiers. For instance, generative AI was predominantly employed as a replacement for traditional writing tools or an enhancement to pre-existing feedback mechanisms."

Studies bearing on this claim¶

Where on the substitution-to-redefinition range does educational technology use actually sit? This table gathers the studies behind this claim and the 2 narrower claims that bear on it: 3 distinct studies (2 review, 1 qualitative), q1–q3, 0 of 3 with an effect size coded. One row per study, codes as each entry records them; no effect is averaged and no verdict is drawn. Built by scripts/synthesize_claim.py from eval/synthesis/; a row that looks wrong is fixed on the claim it comes from.

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Included AI-in-higher-education studies were geographically concentrated in North America and Asia, with medicine, computer science, and engineering as leading disciplines — related
• Most AI-for-sustainability initiatives in higher education remain limited in scope, exploratory, and not integrated into institutional strategies — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Most ITS applications augment existing mathematics teaching practices rather than transform instruction, indicating technological sophistication does not independently determine pedagogical value — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Most GenAI educational applications operate at SAMR's lowest level, substitution, replicating rather than transforming practice — related
• Pedagogically scaffolded generative AI in design thinking education augments rather than replaces human judgment — related
• AI is not yet ready to replace teachers but presents a real possibility to augment them — related
• ChatGPT was the most widely adopted AI platform in undergraduate higher education studies, with applications clustering around assessment automation and personalized learning support — related
• Experts report that critical media literacy remains insufficiently integrated into curricula and that technology integration is often superficial, limited to devices and software without a critical approach — related