1. Purpose and procedure
This study explores how AI support relates to university students' reading and understanding. You will complete a background questionnaire, a short pre-reading assessment, a 30-minute reading session with an AI assistant, a short post-reading assessment, and an experience questionnaire. Each assessment lasts no more than 10 minutes. Consent, instructions, and questionnaires are not timed. The form of AI support is randomly assigned. A separate validation task may be offered to help assess the quality of reading support.
2. Who can take part
You must be aged 18 or over and currently studying at a university. No specialist knowledge or previous experience with AI is required. Please take part only once, using a browser in a quiet setting where you can work independently.
3. What we ask of you
Follow the instructions, answer honestly, and complete the session independently. Do not use external AI tools, search engines, or other assistance. Do not enter your name, student number, contact details, or other personal information in any answer or message. The reading, questions, and study content are in English; the interface language can be changed.
4. Your experience
Reading and answering questions may cause mild tiredness. AI responses can be incomplete or inaccurate. There may be no direct personal benefit from participating. You may withdraw at any time without giving a reason. Participation is voluntary and does not affect your course grades or academic standing.
5. What is recorded
The study records a random participant code, your background information, assessment and questionnaire answers, and messages exchanged with the AI assistant. During reading, it also records which passages appear on screen, time and scrolling information, passage revisits, text selections, mouse activity, and whether the page is visible and focused. Mouse activity is used to estimate inactivity; the study does not record webcam, microphone, or eye-tracking data. These records support research analysis and expert annotation.
6. AI processing and data access
The assistant uses the supplied reading material. Your messages, relevant reading passages, and necessary study context are sent through OpenRouter to an OpenAI-family model for processing. Do not include personal or confidential information. Study records are stored on the research server and are accessible to authorised researchers. Authorised expert reviewers may see reading passages and relevant de-identified responses for annotation.
7. Leaving the study
You can use the withdrawal control to end the session. Refreshing or a short connection interruption does not stop the timer. Once a session is completed, withdrawn, or abandoned, it cannot be restarted in the same browser. Keep your participant code if you need to discuss your record with the research team.
8. Pilot information
This platform currently contains sample reading material, assessments, and provisional study information for testing. The research team must replace and approve this information, including researcher contact details and data retention and withdrawal arrangements, before formal recruitment. For questions during a supervised pilot, contact the researcher who invited you.