Students say their academic grades and efficiency have improved after using generative AI tools, according to a Pearson survey.

Students are leveraging AI to improve their grades


Students say their academic achievement and efficiency have improved after using generative AI tools

Join eCampus News for the 12 Days of Edtech with 2024’s most-read and most-loved stories. On the 8th Day of Edtech, our story focuses on how students leverage AI for academics.

Key points:

An increasing number of students turning to generative AI tools to build knowledge and optimize their study efforts, according to new data from Pearson.

A Pearson research survey of 800 nationally representative U.S. college students, conducted with Morning Consult, shows an increasing interest in using AI tools for study. 

Fifty-one percent of spring semester students said generative AI has helped them get better grades, a 4-percentage point increase from Fall ‘23. 

Fifty-six percent of spring semester students said generative AI has helped them be more efficient, a 7-percentage point increase from Fall ‘23. 

Forty-four percent of students are seeking tools to walk them through problems. For STEM majors, 51 percent want generative AI to walk them through problems. 

Nearly 60 percent of students are interested in trying new generative AI tools. 

“It is very encouraging that students are going deeper into their learning materials by using generative AI,” stated Tony Prentice, Pearson’s Chief Product Officer. “Their feedback on and usage of our study tools are helping us shape these AI experiences. We’re seeing that students trust and enjoy AI that is embedded in their content. This is taking learning to a new level.” 

Anthony Gonzalez, a student at Cerritos Community College who used Pearson’s AI study tools in his General Chemistry class said, “I felt much more prepared for class, quizzes, and exams all around. Not to mention you could ask the AI study tool any question at any given time.” 

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the most disruptive technologies in history, offering higher education institutions the opportunity to re-imagine a world where learning is highly personalized, seamless, and available to everyone. With this in mind, there’s one question that is a point of conversation across campuses: How can higher ed leverage this technology and realize its potential while preparing institutions, faculty, staff, and students for responsible use?

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and EDUCAUSE developed a Higher Education Generative AI Readiness Assessment grounded in responsible use. The new assessment offers a curated list of questions designed to provide visibility into factors related to the institution’s readiness for identification and adoption of generative AI solutions across three core focus areas: strategy and governance, capacity and expertise, and infrastructure.

This assessment can point to areas of focus as institutions rapidly build skills, policies, and best practices that will support students, tutoring assistants, multi-lingual campus navigators, and new staff with generative AI-powered tools such as onboarding assistants, intelligent document processing (IDP), and more.

Material from a press release was used in this report.

See previous 12 Days of Edtech:
1st Day of Edtech
2nd Day of Edtech
3rd Day of Edtech
4th Day of Edtech
5th Day of Edtech
6th Day of Edtech
7th Day of Edtech

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Laura Ascione