Increasingly, artificial intelligence (AI) is appearing in academia and being used to help students succeed in their academic journeys. As an instructor with about 10 years of experience, I’ve come across many students who struggle.

Providing students support can be time-consuming. Until recently, teachers have had to rely on our own resources or tutoring to help these students. I began researching how colleges and universities use AI to help students succeed in the academic journey. In a previous article, I discussed how students are using ChatGPT, but there are other AI tools that schools can use to help students succeed.

Automatic Grading and Assessment

Often, college instructors are responsible for teaching at least two courses simultaneously, and most classes have 25–30 students. Grading work is incredibly time-consuming. By using automatic grading and assessment, instructors can decrease their workload. This also reduces the amount of time students wait for assignments and quizzes to be graded.

For students, writing tools like Grammarly and plagiarism checkers like Turnitin can help them by checking for spelling and grammar mistakes before submitting their work. Fewer mistakes means teachers can spend more time providing feedback on the content of the work, which helps students better understand the material.

AI-Assisted Student Support Services

One of the biggest challenges that colleges and universities face is providing sufficient student assistance and support.

Adult learners, who return to college after being out of school for a long time, may struggle to balance family and professional responsibilities. Traditional students, who are enrolled in college classes for the first time, often require assistance navigating higher education.

All students can be better served through automated support programs. For example, students can use AI tools to find counseling, career services, and even help registering for classes.

Similarly, colleges can utilize chatbots or automated kiosks to provide students with personalized, just-in-time feedback or assistance with courses and other campus services. The ultimate goal of these systems is to retain students and help them persevere in their academic journey.

Intelligent Tutoring Systems

Teachers are often overwhelmed by trying to respond to each student’s unique needs. In some cases, teachers just don’t have enough time in the day to do so.

By using an intelligent tutoring system (ITS), however, teachers can lessen that burden on themselves. ITS involves software that aims to provide immediate and customized instruction or feedback to learners, often without the need for a human teacher. However, teachers can also program these AI assistants to provide customized feedback, or in some cases, lessons students need to work on outside of the classroom. These systems ensure a win for both students and teachers.

AI Can Help Both Students and Teachers

Teachers will always be at the forefront of ensuring their students receive a quality education. However, AI can be a valuable helper for instructors. Most importantly, AI can help us support our students when they need it most.

American Public University (APU) is a pioneer in high-quality, affordable online higher education. We help leaders overcome today’s challenges, providing educational opportunities that help bridge gaps in skill sets and develop a culture of learning. Learn more about the value of having a partner in education.