What are the dimensions of competence of AI Literacy frameworks for higher education? A scoping review.

Titolo Rivista EDUCATION SCIENCES AND SOCIETY
Autori/Curatori Delio De Martino, Fabio Filosofi, Luca Bianchin, Maria Meletiou Mavrotheris, Anna Dipace
Anno di pubblicazione 2026 Fascicolo 2026/1
Lingua Inglese Numero pagine 17 P. 386-402 Dimensione file 0 KB
DOI 10.3280/ess1-2026oa22506
Il DOI è il codice a barre della proprietà intellettuale: per saperne di più clicca qui

FrancoAngeli è membro della Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA), associazione indipendente e non profit per facilitare (attraverso i servizi tecnologici implementati da CrossRef.org) l’accesso degli studiosi ai contenuti digitali nelle pubblicazioni professionali e scientifiche.

The rapid diffusion of AI is transforming higher education and raising new questions about the competencies required for students and educators to interact effectively with AI systems. This study presents a scoping review aimed at identifying and synthesizing the competence dimensions included in AI literacy frameworks for higher education. An exploratory search was conducted through different databases. The results show that AI literacy frameworks converge around four main competence clusters: technical-operational, critical-cognitive, ethical-regulatory and human-AI relational competences. These findings may inform future framework development and assessment practices.

Parole chiave:AI literacy; Higher education; Scoping review; Competence frameworks; Competence dimensions

  1. Arksey H., O’Malley L. (2005). Scoping studies: Towards a methodological framework. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8(1): 19-32. DOI: 10.1080/1364557032000119616
  2. Asghar M.Z., Iqbal J., Özbilen F.M., Abedin J., Järvenoja H., Widanapathirana U. (2025). The nexus of artificial intelligence literacy, collaborative knowledge practices and inclusive leadership development among higher education students in Bangladesh, China, Finland and Turkey. Discover Computing, 28: 172.
  3. Burneo-Arteaga P., Lira Y., Murzi H., Balula A., Costa A.P. (2025). Capability-based training framework for generative AI in higher education. Frontiers in Education, 10: 1594199.
  4. Castillo-Martínez I.M., Flores-Bueno D., Gómez-Puente S.M., Vite-León V.O. (2024). AI in higher education: A systematic literature review. In Frontiers in Education, 9: 1391485.
  5. Crcek N., Patekar J. (2023). Writing with AI: University students’ use of ChatGPT. Journal of Language and Education, 9(4): 128-138.
  6. De Martino D., Dicataldo M.C. (2023). Cosa vuol dire essere “immersi” nell’apprendimento? Il rapporto tra esperienze immersive e apprendimento efficace. IUL Research, 4(7): 204-218.
  7. De Martino D., di Padova M., Dicataldo M.C., Dipace A. (2024). AI Act: A quanti-qualitative analysis. In International Conference on Higher Education Learning Methodologies and Technologies Online, pp. 186-198. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-93999-0_12
  8. Del Gottardo E., De Martino D. (2020). Criteria for distance learning at the time of Coronavirus. REM, 12: 3-8.
  9. Eco U. (2025). Apocalittici e integrati. Comunicazioni di massa e teorie della cultura di massa. Milano: La Nave di Teseo.
  10. Hackl V., Müller A.E., Sailer M. (2026). The AI literacy heptagon: A structured approach to AI literacy in higher education. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 10, 100540.
  11. Hazari S. (2024). Justification and roadmap for artificial intelligence (AI) literacy courses in higher education. Journal of Educational Research and Practice, 14(1): 106-118. DOI: 10.5590/JERAP.2024.14.1.07
  12. Hershkovitz A., Tabach M., Reich Y., Lurie L., Cholcman T. (2025). Framing and evaluating task-centered generative artificial intelligence literacy for higher education students. Systems, 13(7), 518.
  13. Kansanen P., Meri M. (1999). The didactic relation in the teaching-studying-learning process. In: TNTEE Publications, Vol. 2, 1, pp. 107-116, TNTEE, Umeå, Sweden.
  14. Kennedy K., Gupta A. (2025). AI & data competencies: Scaffolding holistic AI literacy in higher education. arXiv.
  15. Lau S., Guo P. (2023). From “Ban it till we understand it” to “Resistance is futile”: How university programming instructors plan to adapt as more students use AI code generation and explanation tools such as ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot. In Proceedings of the 2023 ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research, pp. 106-121. DOI: 10.1145/3568813.3600138
  16. Laupichler M.C., Aster A., Schirch J., Raupach T. (2022). Artificial intelligence literacy in higher and adult education: A scoping literature review. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 3, 100101.
  17. Leaton Gray S., Edsall D., Parapadakis D. (2025). AI-based digital cheating at university, and the case for new ethical pedagogies. Journal of Academic Ethics, 23(4): 2069-2086.
  18. Levac D., Colquhoun H., O’Brien K.K. (2010). Scoping studies: Advancing the methodology. Implementation Science, 5, 69. DOI: 10.1186/1748-5908-5-69
  19. Liberati A., Altman D.G., Tetzlaff J., Mulrow C., Gøtzsche P.C., Ioannidis J.P., Clarke M., Devereaux P.J., Kleijnen J., Moher D. (2009). The PRISMA statement for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses of studies that evaluate health care interventions: Explanation and elaboration. PLoS Medicine, 6(7), e1000100.
  20. Lucas K.A., Lioy A. (2025). Mapping AI literacy frameworks: An analysis of the evolving metaphorical relationships between students, teachers, and AI. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 2025(1): 15.
  21. Malik M. (2025). Co-inference and collaboration: Empowering higher education staff and students through a GenAI literacy development framework based on mind-metaphors. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (38).
  22. Marzullo N. (2025). Technologies pedagogy and mass culture in the legacy of apocalyptics and integrated in the contemporary era. Journal of Inclusive Methodology and Technology in Learning and Teaching, 5(1).
  23. Nartgün Z., Kennedy E. (2024). Cheating in higher education in the age of artificial intelligence. International Journal on Lifelong Education and Leadership, 10(2): 47-54.
  24. Oliveira M., Zednik C., Bombaerts G., Sadowski B., Conijn R. (2025). Assessing students’ DRIVE: A framework to evaluate learning through interactions with generative AI. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 9, 100497.
  25. Page M.J., McKenzie J.E., Bossuyt P.M., Boutron I., Hoffmann T.C., Mulrow C.D., Shamseer L., Tetzlaff J.M., Akl E.A., Brennan S.E., Chou R., Glanville J., Grimshaw J.M., Hróbjartsson A., Lalu M.M., Li T., Loder E.W., Mayo-Wilson E., McDonald S., McGuinness L.A., Stewart L.A., Thomas J., Tricco A.C., Welch V.A., Whiting P., Moher D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372, 71.
  26. Petrova M.N. (2026). Strategies for developing AI competencies in higher education. Frontiers in Education, 10: 1683909.
  27. Ranieri M., Biagini G., Cuomo S. (2025). AI literacy in higher education: A systematic approach to questionnaire development and validation. International Journal of Digital Literacy and Digital Competence, 16(1): 1-25. DOI: 10.4018/IJDLDC.388469
  28. Rousseau H.P. (2023). From Gutenberg to ChatGPT: The challenge of the digital university. Burgundy Report.
  29. Suryahadikusumah A.R., Monalisa, Syaputra Y.D., Ramanda P., Nurmalasari Y., Fahriza I., Nadya A. (2024). Metacognitive skills as a guidance curriculum in the age of AI. Psikopedagogia, 13(1): 17-26.
  30. Wang J., Hong W.C.H., Xu X., Zhang Y., Yin Y. (2026). Exploring AI competency in Chinese undergraduates through the UNESCO framework. Acta Psychologica, 263, 106299.
  31. Yan, W., Nakajima, T., & Sawada, R. (2025). Beyond tool use: Tracking the evolution of generative AI literacy among university students through a process-oriented investigation. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 9, 100465.
  32. Zhou, X., & Schofield, L. (2024). Developing a conceptual framework for artificial intelligence (AI) literacy in higher education. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (31).

Delio De Martino, Fabio Filosofi, Luca Bianchin, Maria Meletiou Mavrotheris, Anna Dipace, What are the dimensions of competence of AI Literacy frameworks for higher education? A scoping review. in "EDUCATION SCIENCES AND SOCIETY" 1/2026, pp 386-402, DOI: 10.3280/ess1-2026oa22506