Time for Class 2023 Study finds students are earlier adopters of generative AI tools than faculty…

Time for Class 2023 Study finds students are earlier adopters of generative AI tools than faculty, and majority (69%) of learners prefer hybrid, blended or online course formats

BOSTON, June 21, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Tyton Partners, the leading education advisory firm exclusively dedicated to the rapidly evolving Global Education Sector, has published the 2023 Time for Class research publication in collaboration with Anthology and Turnitin, with additional research support from Macmillan Learning, Lumina Foundation, Every Learner Everywhere, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The publication details the differences between student and institutional stakeholder experiences with digital learning in higher education and how institutions and solution providers can address these differences to produce better outcomes for students.

The data is gathered from three large-scale surveys conducted in Spring 2023, collecting insights from 2,048 students, 1,748 instructors, and 306 administrators. Respondents are representative of the diverse demographics of these populations and provide insight into the evolving – and at times at odds – perspectives of today’s learners, instructors, and university leaders. Students shared that while they prefer digital modalities for learning, they face access challenges with regards to reliable internet and devices and that their experiences and preferences differ from institutional stakeholder perceptions. Additionally, instructors shared insight regarding instructional challenges they see implementing digital learning in their classrooms, notably with the innovation in generative AI technology (e.g., ChatGPT) making “detecting student cheating” their most frequently cited in-course challenge. Some of the major differences between the perspectives of students and instructors include:

• Generative AI is here to stay. 46% of students report that they will use generative AI writing tools, even if prohibited by their instructor or institution.
• Student preferences for learning trend to hybrid, blended and online courses, whereas faculty preferences trend to face-to-face. More than half of instructors prefer teaching face-to-face, but only a third of students prefer face-to-face courses. The remaining 70% of students prefer digital elements to course modality with the top choice being hybrid courses (22%). Students also prefer digital materials over print 29 percentage points more than faculty.
• Despite digital preferences, students report lack of access to foundational technology infrastructure. Up to 40% of students report they have experienced stress due to limited access to computers/laptops and unstable internet connections. This same statistic for students from underserved racial groups is six percentage points higher than the overall student population.
• 90% of instructors are using digital course materials in one or more classes, yet students and faculty both note there remain affordability barriers to accessing course materials. Students prefer access models that reduce price and deliver materials on the first day of class and inclusive and equitable access models show promise in achieving this goal. Faculty are aware of student affordability challenges and leverage free materials more than administrators think.
• Students and instructors are adopting generative AI at different rates, as of March 2023, roughly 30% of students report being regular users of generative AI writing tools like ChatGPT while only 9% of faculty reported the same level of usage. Both faculty and students who are using and experimenting with generative AI tools are far more optimistic about their impact on teaching and learning.
• 71% of students say they were anxious about their course-load or expectations this term, most often turning to peers, instructors, or their course materials or supplements for support. Only 10% said they prefer to turn to Generative AI as their preferred source of information as of the time of survey fielding in March – April.

“We have long seen that digital learning, implemented well, can provide greater access to learner data for educators, support improved learning for students and be a key tool to address equity gaps. Generative AI is affording new ways for educators to change how they spend their time, deepen student learning through new forms of assessment and instruction, and to enable real-time support and intervention at the point of need,” says Kristen Fox, Managing Director at Tyton Partners.

The 2023 Time for Class report of the largest and longest running study monitoring digital learning in higher education is now available, with additional reports, Driving Towards a Degree 2023 and Listening to Learners 2023 being released later this Summer.

To view the findings and learn more, check out Time for Class 2023: Bridging Student and Faculty Perspectives on Digital Learning.

About Tyton Partners
Tyton Partners is designed to be different. As the only advisor dedicated to the rapidly evolving Global Education Sector, we have constructed a team of bankers, principal investors, consultants, operators, and educators to deliver industry-defining insights to power executives’ and investors’ critical decisions. For more information, visit www.tytonpartners.com.

About Anthology
Anthology offers the largest EdTech ecosystem on a global scale for education, supporting more than 150 million users in 80 countries. With a mission to provide dynamic, data-informed experiences to the global education community through Anthology Intelligent Experiences™, we help learners, leaders and educators achieve their goals by offering over 60 SaaS products and services designed to advance learning. Discover more about how we are fulfilling our mission for education, business and government institutions at www.anthology.com.

About Turnitin
Turnitin is a global company dedicated to ensuring the integrity of education and meaningfully improving learning outcomes. For 25 years, Turnitin has partnered with educational institutions to promote honesty, consistency, and fairness across all subject areas and assessment types. Turnitin products are used by educational institutions and certification and licensing programs to uphold integrity and increase learning performance, and by students and professionals to do their best, original work.

Turnitin has offices in Australia, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Over 16,000 academic institutions, publishers, and corporations around the world use Turnitin services: Gradescope by Turnitin, iThenticate, Turnitin Feedback Studio, Turnitin Originality, Turnitin Similarity, ExamSoft, ProctorExam, and Ouriginal.

About Macmillan Learning
Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family-owned company that inspires what’s possible for every learner. We envision a world in which every learner succeeds. Through our content, tools and services, we aim to make that a reality. To learn more, please visit macmillanlearning.com or join our Macmillan Community.

About Lumina Foundation
Lumina Foundation is an independent, private foundation committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. We envision a system that is easy to navigate, delivers fair results, and meets the nation’s need for talent through a broad range of credentials. Our goal is to prepare people for informed citizenship and success in a global economy.

About Every Learner Everywhere
Every Learner Everywhere is a network of partner organizations with expertise in evaluating, implementing, scaling, and measuring the efficacy of education technologies, curriculum and course design strategies, teaching practices, and support services that personalize instruction for students in blended and online learning environments. Our mission is to help institutions use new technology to innovate teaching and learning, with the ultimate goal of improving learning outcomes for Black, Latino, and Indigenous students, poverty-affected students, and first-generation students. For more information about Every Learner Everywhere and its collaborative approach to equitize higher education through digital learning, visit everylearnereverywhere.org.