Student voices on a guided generative AI strategy for master thesis writing[Analyse des perceptions étudiantes sur un dispositif d'accompagnement à l'usage des IA Génératives pour le mémoire de master]

The rapid adoption of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in higher education has raised critical questions regarding its pedagogical integration. Although prior research highlights both the opportunities and challenges of GenAI for students' competence development, empirical evidence on its effective implementation within advanced academic programs remains scarce. This study addresses this gap through a Design Science Research Methodology that investigates how the use of GenAI tools can support competence development in a Master's thesis-writing course within a Management Information Systems (MIS) curriculum. A dedicated learning methodology was designed and evaluated to guide students in the informed and responsible use of GenAI for academic writing. The findings suggest that students' thesis-writing competences improve when GenAI use is scaffolded within a structured pedagogical framework, whereas unguided or unstructured use may impede deeper competence development. These results emphasize the importance of developing pedagogical frameworks that promote responsible, effective, and ethically grounded integration of GenAI to enhance learning outcomes in higher education.