Graduate Students at the Frontier of GenAI: Emerging Trends from a Southwest Borderland University

Authors

  • Julia Lynn Parra New Mexico State University
  • Suparna Chatterjee New Mexico State University
  • Eche Okoye New Mexico State University
  • Leanna Lucero https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1055-0191

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v30i2.5529

Keywords:

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), higher education, graduate students, connectivism, Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM), AI literacy

Abstract

The rapid emergence of generative AI (GenAI) is reshaping higher education, offering both opportunities and challenges. In this context, graduate students are a critical population for examining adoption as they tend to experience both advanced academic work and professional preparation. This study explored graduate students’ awareness, uses, perceptions, and future intentions regarding GenAI within the context of taking one or more educational technology courses at a Southwest borderland university. A qualitative descriptive, cross-sectional design was employed. Data were collected via an online survey (N = 24) including multiple choice, Likert-scale, and open-ended items. Connectivism served as the primary theoretical perspective, with the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) Stages of Concern providing a complementary framework for interpreting adoption patterns. Findings indicated that students moved from limited prior exposure to more deliberate integration of GenAI. Three key thematic trends emerged: (1) promise, productivity, and partnership, where GenAI was framed as a collaborative partnership that augments rather than replaces human agency; (2) boundaries and ethics, including strong concerns about academic integrity, accuracy, equity, and over-reliance; and (3) navigating uncertainty, marked by inconsistent institutional policies and discipline-specific variation. Overall, graduate students are navigating GenAI adoption with enthusiasm tempered by boundary consciousness. They viewed GenAI literacy as increasingly essential for academic and career competitiveness yet stressed the importance of policies and practices that emphasize appropriate augmentation, ethics, and equity in higher education.

Author Biography

Julia Lynn Parra, New Mexico State University

Assistant Professor College of Education Curriculum and Instruction Learning Design & Technology Dr. Julia Parra teaches and conducts research in the areas of professional and faculty development, online/blended teaching and learning, innovative learning design, educational learning technologies, emerging technologies, social media and connectedness. Julia is an assistant professor at New Mexico State University (NMSU) in the College of Education. She helped design and is an instructor for the NMSU Graduate Certificate in Online Teaching and Learning program and is an instructor for the College of Education’s Learning Design and Technology program. Julia also teaches for the SLOAN-C Online Teaching Certificate Program and is a certified Quality Matters Peer Reviewer. In 2006, Julia co-authored a book chapter titled, Transitioning to E-Learning: Teaching the Teachers that was published in the book, Cases on Global E-Learning: Successes and Pitfalls and was republished in 2010, in the book, Web-Based Education: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications. In 2011, an article was published that she co-authored using collaborative writing in a Google Doc. It is titled, Online Course Design for Individuals With and Without Disabilities: Pedagogy, Tools, and Universal Design for Learning. For 2013, Julia has a book chapter published, titled, Developing technology and collaborative group work skills: supporting student and group success in online and blended courses and published in the book, Increasing Learner Engagement through Cutting-edge Technologies. She has a co-authored journal article titled, Digital explorations along the Borderlands: Transfronterizo youth, testimonio, and personal learning networks published in the International Journal of Information Communication Technologies and Human Development to be published in 2014. Julia has conducted presentations, workshops, and webinars at local, state, regional and national conferences on a variety of topics. Dr. Parra is always up for a challenge or adventure, evidenced recently by her foray into geography education when she agreed to be the co-coordinator for the New Mexico Geographic Alliance, a member of the National Geographic Network of Alliances for Geographic Education and more recently when she joined the Rosemont Leadership Institute team (now the New Mexico Leadership Institute in support of providing leadership opportunities for New Mexico high school students. For more about Julia, see her website at http://juliaparra.com.

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Published

2026-06-01

How to Cite

Parra, J. L., Chatterjee, S., Okoye, E., & Lucero, L. (2026). Graduate Students at the Frontier of GenAI: Emerging Trends from a Southwest Borderland University. Online Learning, 30(2), 153–179. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v30i2.5529

Issue

Vol. 30 No. 2 (2026): Online Learning

Section

Higher Education in an AI-Transformed World

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Copyright (c) 2026 Julia Lynn Parra, Suparna Chatterjee, Eche Okoye, Leanna Lucero

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