BECE. Newsletter 

Vol.20, No.2, 2025, BECE 1983 

 

 

 

 

The Role of General Artificial Intelligence in Digital 

Literacy Training: An Empirical Study Based on the 

Information Technology Course 

By Zhu, S., Li, J., Kuang, X., & Bai, J. 
Correspondence to: Jiayuan Li, Central China Normal University, China. E-mail: 

editorial-office@bonoi.org  

HE DIGITAL transformation of human society is accelerating as a result 

of the introduction of new-generation information technology (IT) like 

artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, and digital literacy has become an es-

sential skill in the digital era. In this context, digital literacy training is 

deemed a crucial component of modern basic education. However, current 

digital literacy education in many schools remains focused on the operational 

use of digital tools with disregard for the human-machine-collaboration-

assisted autonomous learning, which is highly advocated in the intelligent era. 

This dampens digital literacy development in students. Meanwhile, research-

ers found that generative artificial intelligence (GAI) has the potential to cre-

ate flexible, open, and inclusive human-machine collaboration environments, 

facilitating students’ self-organized learning. Based on the self-organized 

learning theory, this article advances the GAiSOLEs (generative AI-based 

self-organized learning environments), an instructional model for fostering 

students’ digital literacy, with a quasi-experimental study conducted with the 

information technology classes to verify the effects of the model on student 

digital literacy development. 

Research Results: 

• The basic components of the GAiSOLEs model include: a pivot-

al objective directed at digital literacy cultivation in students; a 

smart classroom setting, i.e., the self-organized learning envi-

ronment (SOLE); and collaboration between the teacher, students, 

and GAI. 

• The GAiSOLEs model is effective in raising the IT awareness, 

improving computational thinking ability, encouraging digital 

learning, and increasing digital creativity in the students. 

• The GAiSOLEs model has no significant positive effects on the 

students’ senses of responsibility for an ethical digital society. As 

GAI tools may algorithmically avoid ethically controversial is-

sues when used by the students in search for digital materials, the 

latter can be deprived of the opportunities to develop genuine 

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Vol.20, No.2, 2025, BECE 1984 

understanding of the values, ethics, and behavioral norms that 

should be followed in digital activities. 

The study makes the following suggestions: (i) prioritizing ethical use 

of technology to build controllable large models for education; (ii) increasing 

education on basic digital knowledge and skills to avoid illegitimate reliance 

on GAI tools; (iii) providing GAI-assisted teaching training for teachers. 

 

Source: China Educational Technology, 2025; 2025(02):75-83.