Student Research Into How Students and Faculty Use AI

Insights for Teaching and Learning

Student Research Into How Students and Faculty Use AI: Insights for Teaching and Learning offers a student-centered examination of generative AI in higher education—not a guide or endorsement, but a record of genuine student inquiry into AI’s potential and limitations. Students are already using AI, regardless of institutional policies. This student research helps faculty understand not just what tools students are using, but how they’re thinking about AI’s role in their education. The report presents findings from two cohorts of digital learning interns at Every Learner Everywhere during the 2024-25 academic year. Interns ranged from enthusiastic to skeptical about AI’s promise, bringing diverse perspectives to critical questions about learning, equity, and academic integrity.

The report is accompanied by the AI Toolkit Database: A student-curated database of 70+ generative AI tools organized by use case, with details on functionality, pricing, data sources, and privacy considerations. Designed as a living resource that accepts community contributions.

Student Research Into How Students and Faculty Use AI: Insights for Teaching and Learning also includes use cases across disciplines exploring how students and faculty use AI tools for text, images, and audio across natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences, with ethical and environmental considerations. Additionally, students conducted direct interviews with students and faculty revealing perspectives on AI’s impact on learning, concerns about overreliance, equity issues, and how AI is reshaping pedagogy.

Key Themes Emerging from the Research

• Continuous Change and the Need for Living Resources: The AI market evolves daily, making static lists obsolete. The evergreen database anticipates this challenge.
• Pedagogical Promise vs. Academic Integrity Risks: Tools can personalize learning and streamline feedback, yet concerns about fairness and plagiarism detection remain paramount.
• Access and the Digital Divide: Free AI tools can mask inequality. Students noted how premium versions with advanced capabilities can exacerbate disparities, and some majors offer more opportunities than others to develop digital fluency.
• Creative Uses Beyond Faculty Imagination: Even when AI is banned for graded work, students use it creatively—like generating practice tests for self-study.
• Faculty Shifting from Lecturer to Guide: AI is fundamentally reshaping pedagogical priorities, with educators focusing more on helping students build judgment and critical thinking rather than simply transmitting information.

Download Student Research Into How Students and Faculty Use AI Access the AI Toolkit Database