Changes in Knowledge and Use of OER, Open-Source Software, and Generative Artificial Intelligence Among First-Year Students - and What This Means

Abstract

Recent surveys at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) reveal a marked shift in digital media use among first‑year university students. This paper centers on the extent to which open digital resources – such as Wikipedia, open‑source software, and Open Educational Resources (OER) – have gained or lost visibility and usage in recent years, and whether these trends are linked to the increasing adoption of generative AI tools like ChatGPT. Drawing on data from three questionnaires conducted between 2022 and 2024 with more than 3,300 first‑year students, we analyse changes in awareness, usage, and attitudes toward digital tools. Particular attention is given to the decline in the use of open infrastructures alongside a rise in the deployment of proprietary AI applications. Unlike the publication by Nagler et al. (2025), which examines overall digital competencies of first‑year students, this contribution specifically focuses on shifts in information access, possible reallocation of usage among established open platforms, and the implications for digital sovereignty within higher education.