Artificial Intelligence (AI) use in higher education has continued to increase while experts advocate for support for students and educators for deeper exploitation of the technology, according to a report by tech giant, Microsoft.
Microsoft, in its third annual AI in Education Special Report, disclosed that about nine in 10 students, educators and education leaders say they had already used AI for school. The report, which examines how K–12 districts and higher education institutions are adopting and using AI, consolidates survey results from more than 3,000 instructors, education leaders and students in K–12 and higher education environments around the world.
The findings go beyond who is using AI in education to explore how tools are being used and their effectiveness in the classroom. A key takeaway: Students and educators want to use AI, but they are asking for more support to do so.
Students, educators and leaders have different views on AI support
According to Microsoft’s findings, more than half of education leaders are using AI daily. Among students and teachers, however, the number is lower: About one-third of teachers and one-quarter of students use it every day in their school-related work. Many educators are using AI tools to brainstorm, plan lessons and simplify complex topics, while leaders are using it to work more efficiently and analyse data to improve students’ learning.
But while many institutions are encouraging AI use, there appears to be a big perception gap. Among survey respondents, four in five education leaders say their institution’s AI guidance is clear, but half of students and teachers say that guidance is nonexistent or neutral. To feel more supported and confident with AI, students and instructors say they need regular training; ideally monthly or quarterly.
That’s likely a gap that leaders don’t realize they’re overlooking: 7 in 10 education leaders say at least half their students and instructors have had AI training. Conversely, 77 percent of students and 53 percent of educators say they have not had any formal AI training. That could be due to the speed of AI’s evolution.
“Education leaders say they’re delivering the content, but the end audience says they’re not receiving it. That deserves a closer look.
“AI is changing so fast that people may not have time to embed what they’ve learned into their practice before it’s changed again, so they’re constantly feeling in deficit,” said director of Marketing Education for Microsoft, Mark Sparvell, in the report.
To meet this need, schools must build practical AI literacy that withstands constant changes. This can mean ongoing, hands-on education opportunities, co-ops that allow educators to share with and learn from their peers, and short, stackable learning modules that can be completed even when time is tight.
Along with the report, Microsoft unveiled expanded AI tools tailored for education so schools can provide the kind of support and ongoing learning that students and educators need.
“Schools are places that develop skills — but they’re also where society itself is created,” Sparvell says. “AI gives educators an incredible range of new tools to accomplish that work.”
The new tools include instructor tools that allow educators to brainstorm and plan standards-aligned lesson plans in minutes, set guidelines for how and when AI can be used in assignments and oversee student activity and lesson progression; student tools that help students explore their classroom materials and use Copilot Chat as a research partner; and training through Microsoft Elevate for Educators, including a no-cost AI literacy program for educators and leaders looking to build confidence and transform classroom learning.
Microsoft offers a proof point from the University of South Carolina that tells how such AI tools can improve student learning, staff efficiency and the institution’s bottom line. After deploying Microsoft 365 Copilot for IT teams and students, more than 8 in 10 users reported saving one to five hours each week.
“On some weeks when I have to do a lot of work on my computer, Copilot might be saving me four or five hours in a week easily. Now I can spend that time with students,” said Juan Caicedo, professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the university.
