The Rapid Rise of AI in the Classroom

Last month, Youngstown State University published a meta-analysis of nine different studies that examine how generative AI was being used in the classroom. This included statistics not just how students are using it (either ethically or unethically), but also how teachers are using it.

What the analysis found was that the use of AI in the classroom is surging, perhaps even faster than many expected.

For example, in 2023, just 13% of 13-17 year olds admitted to using ChatGPT or a similar AI for schoolwork. That number doubled to 26% for the 2024 school year. In response to that, we saw a similar rise in the use of AI detection tools by teachers, leaping from 38% of teachers in 2023 to 68% in 2024.

However, there was some good news when it comes to academic integrity. In one study, students overwhelmingly viewed the use of AI as a major academic integrity violation. Over 83% of the students surveyed said that using AI to write your paper was an example of “major academic misconduct.” Another 7% definied it as a “moderate” violation.

This was even higher than the portion that said that about having another student write your paper, less than half said that was a major violation.

But this analysis didn’t look at the students, it also looked at how instructors are using AI. There, it found that they too are making increasing use of it.

What the Teachers Are Doing

Perhaps the biggest surprise in this analysis was how many teachers have begun making use of AI in their preparation.

A Gallup survey found that 60% of US K-12 public school teachers used AI tools at some point during the 2024 school year. Over half of those teachers, 32% of all teachers, used AI at least weekly.

The most common tasks were to prepare to teach and perform administrative work. However, teachers also acknowledge that they use AI to create assignments, to modify material for student needs, or, perhaps most worryingly, to make assessments of student work.

Unsurprisingly, according to the World Economic Forum, teachers agreed with students that AI assistants were essential for learning and workforce preparation. Some 71% of teachers agreed with that statement, and 64% of students did as well.

It’s interesting that teachers are increasing their own usage of AI, though they are increasingly worried about their students using it. The adoption of AI detection tools reached 68% in 2024, up from 38% the previous year. Much of this is likely due to the rollout of Turnitin’s AI detection tools, but the jump is still notable.

But should they be worried? The answer is almost certainly yes.

The Student Side

According to a Pew Research Center study, the share of teens using AI doubled from 13% to 26% in just one year. The percentage of students who had used it increased with age, and white students were less likely than non-white students to use it.

However, regardless of age range, ethnicity, or any other factor, between one-fifth and one-third of students were using AI. To me, that number seems low.

That said, students did seem to understand that using AI to write your paper is a violation of academic integrity. Roughly 90% of students recognized that as either a major or moderate integrity breach.

But while that is relatively clear, students are much less clear on other uses of AI. That number dropped to 69% when having AI just write a paragraph, and 55% when using AI to revise a paper.

However, the biggest problem may be confusion as to what is and is not considered using AI. When asked about Grammarly Free and Grammarly Pro, 43% said the free version was an infringement, and 55% said the same about the pro version.

To be clear, this is a loaded question. It is entirely possible to use Grammarly, both free or pro, without using generative AI tools. Unless they are specifically barred, using grammar correction tools is generally not seen as an integrity violation. This points to a great deal of uncertainty and confusion around the use of Grammarly, or similar tools, for classwork.

So, while students seem to understand the broad strokes, the devil is likely in the details. That said, this study makes it very clear that AI usage is growing rapidly, regardless of whether students feel it’s an academic integrity violation or not.

Bottom Line

In the end, my takeaways from this are pretty simple. AI usage is on a very sharp rise in the classroom. However, that rise is almost as much on the instructor’s side as the student’s side. AI in the classroom isn’t as simple as setting and enforcing boundaries for students; it’s about instructors too.

That said, it does seem like the message about AI has gotten across to students. They know that misusing it is a significant academic integrity violation. However, it’s also clear that students are getting somewhat confused about what that means when dealing with tools like Grammarly.

But that’s not wholly unexpected. As this analysis also points out, most instructors have adopted a rule-based and punitive approach to AI. That can hinder those kinds of discussions and conversations.

Still, despite all of this, AI usage is on the rise. It’s on the rise faster than many likely expected. Unfortunately, there is no easy path forward. The technology is simply too ubiquitous to ignore.