# Large Language Models for Education and Research: An Empirical and User Survey-based Analysis

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.08057 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.08057/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 17 of its 36 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 8 Dec 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 17 of 17)

- [Attention Is All You Need](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.03762/) (2017)
- [Training language models to follow instructions with human feedback](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.02155/) (2022)
- [PaLM: Scaling Language Modeling with Pathways](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.02311/) (2022)
- [Large Language Models Encode Clinical Knowledge](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.13138/) (2022)
- [DeepSeekMoE: Towards Ultimate Expert Specialization in Mixture-of-Experts Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.06066/) (2024)
- [DeepSeek-VL: Towards Real-World Vision-Language Understanding](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.05525/) (2024)
- [DeepSeek-Coder-V2: Breaking the Barrier of Closed-Source Models in Code Intelligence](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.11931/) (2024)
- [Mathematical Capabilities of ChatGPT](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.13867/) (2023)
- [AugGPT: Leveraging ChatGPT for Text Data Augmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.13007/) (2023)
- [Exploring the Limits of ChatGPT for Query or Aspect-based Text Summarization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.08081/) (2023)
- [Refining ChatGPT-Generated Code: Characterizing and Mitigating Code Quality Issues](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.12596/) (2023)
- [ChatGPT and Software Testing Education: Promises & Perils](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.03287/) (2023)
- [ChatGPT as a Math Questioner? Evaluating ChatGPT on Generating Pre-university Math Questions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.01661/) (2023)
- [Evaluating Mathematical Reasoning Across Large Language Models: A Fine-Grained Approach](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.10573/) (2025)
- [RoBERTa-BiLSTM: A Context-Aware Hybrid Model for Sentiment Analysis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.00367/) (2024)
- [Programming with AI: Evaluating ChatGPT, Gemini, AlphaCode, and GitHub Copilot for Programmers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.09224/) (2024)
- [A Method for the Architecture of a Medical Vertical Large Language Model Based on Deepseek R1](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.00025/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Pretrained Large Language Models (LLMs) have achieved remarkable success across diverse domains, with education and research emerging as particularly impactful areas. Among current state-of-the-art LLMs, ChatGPT and DeepSeek exhibit strong capabilities in mathematics, science, medicine, literature, and programming. In this study, we present a comprehensive evaluation of these two LLMs through background technology analysis, empirical experiments, and a real-world user survey. The evaluation explores trade-offs among model accuracy, computational efficiency, and user experience in educational and research affairs. We benchmarked these LLMs performance in text generation, programming, and specialized problem-solving. Experimental results show that ChatGPT excels in general language understanding and text generation, while DeepSeek demonstrates superior performance in programming tasks due to its efficiency-focused design. Moreover, both models deliver medically accurate diagnostic outputs and effectively solve complex mathematical problems. Complementing these quantitative findings, a survey of students, educators, and researchers highlights the practical benefits and limitations of these models, offering deeper insights into their role in advancing education and research.