State of AI in Education Survey says higher education is leading AI adoption

A new report from the ed tech platform Quizlet suggests that higher ed institutions are leading in AI adoption when compared to high schools.

According to their recent State of AI in Education report, which surveyed 1,001 students aged 14-22 and 500 instructors at the K-12 and higher-ed level, 82 percent of college students say they’ve used AI technologies compared to just 58 percent of high school students. In addition, the report said, 48 percent of high school students say they are not sure if they will use AI technologies to help prepare for college applications or standardized tests like SATs and ACTs, with only 7 percent saying they have done so already.

The report also examined the way in which students by and large have used AI technologies, amid the growing popularity of tools like ChatGPT and other AI-driven ed-tech tools. It said students who use AI technology for school use it to do research (46 percent), to summarize or synthesize information (38 percent), and to generate study guides or materials (31percent). It said that students studying three or more hours a night during the school year are more likely than their counterparts to say AI technologies have positively impacted their efficiency (62 percent), learning support (60 percent), and creativity and critical thinking (53 percent). What’s more, the report added, students are more likely than teachers to say AI creates a more equitable education system (41 percent of students vs. 33 percent of teachers).The report added that college students say 41 percent of their institutions have established a code of conduct regarding AI use compared to just 18 percent of high school students.

"College students are adopting AI at a rapid pace, illustrating that this technology isn't a trend but rather a profound shift in how they learn and engage with curriculum," said Meghann Lomas, senior director of product at Quizlet, said in a public statement. "Students want to use AI responsibly, and guidance from educators and administrators, along with the edtech companies building these solutions, can help them."

Despite the greater adoption in higher education, the report added that more than half of high school teachers and higher education professors (52%) feel positive or neutral about the technology's impact on learning. The report also shows that teachers are more tempered in their optimism about AI's potential to impact education this year compared to last year.

"The introduction of generative AI in education sparked a variety of hopes and fears for education," said Lomas. "The data shows that while AI has proven to help support student effectiveness and develop personalized learning resources, it hasn't yet prompted the changes many people were concerned about—like replacing the vital role our educators play in students' lives."

The report noted that only 28 percent of high school and college teachers said AI technologies “positively impacted their students' overall learning experience,” while 46 percent of students reported the same. It added that this number has remained largely the same year over year, with 47 percent of students reporting last year that AI technologies positively impacted their learning experience.

"Both students and teachers report that AI hasn't yet resulted in a massive sea change for education," said Lomas. "But more incremental changes are actually a good sign. It means that the most important stakeholders in education, teachers and students, have a better understanding of how to deploy AI in a practical way, which builds on the foundation of education."

In 2024, 69 percent of respondents said their school has not yet established a code of conduct or an advisory for AI technology – down slightly from 72 percent of respondents saying the same in 2023. When asked who they would trust to create guidelines for fair and safe use of AI in education, students and teachers said schools and school districts (65 percent) state and/or federal governments (34 percent), and technology companies (31 percent) are the three most trusted groups. The report also added that many instructors are now taking it upon themselves to discuss proper AI use with their students.

"A reliable framework for AI use is necessary to ensure we're applying this technology responsibly and thoughtfully," said Maureen Lamb, Dean of Academic Technology and Innovative Pedagogy at The Ethel Walker School. "Clear guidelines help educators and students build a dynamic learning environment that plays to AI's strengths in supporting learning outcomes."

Among the higher ed institutions in Tennessee that have made more use of AI programs is the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, which offers AI resources like UT Verse, a chat-based, AI-powered platform developed specifically for the University of Tennessee community where students have AI conversations about topics that are geared toward internal audiences, university business and research.

The university also makes use of Microsoft Copilot, an AI-powered platform used to search for information, create content, and communicate with others.In addition, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has made use of a variety of AI programs in its courses, such as AI features in Adobe for graphic design courses and AI tools to help with statistical analysis for research, among other uses.

“Although the potential for [using AI for] cheating presents a significant challenge in the educational use of AI tools, it’s important to recognize their positive aspects,” said Feng Guo, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.  “We must acknowledge the power and benefits these tools offer, as well as the essential need for students to master them to remain competitive in today’s job market.”