Time for Class 2025: Empowering Educators, Engaging Students
June 11, 2025 PapersInstitutions Rebalance Human Connection and Digital Innovation in Higher Ed Tyton Partners, with support from the Gates Foundation…
Institutions Rebalance Human Connection and Digital Innovation in Higher Ed
Tyton Partners, with support from the Gates Foundation and McGraw Hill Education, and additional contributions from D2L, has released Time for Class 2025: Empowering Educators, Engaging Students. This latest report in Tyton’s annual series examines how higher education is responding to the rapid rise of generative AI, deepening student engagement challenges, and shifting expectations around flexibility and support.
The research is grounded in responses from over 3,300 students, instructors, and administrators across more than 900 U.S. colleges and universities. It focuses on introductory and developmental courses, where high-impact teaching and timely student support are essential to success.
Time for Class 2025 offers a close look at how digital learning is evolving from a content delivery solution to a broader enabler of connection, insight, and persistence. It underscores the need for institutions and solution providers to adapt quickly, shaping tools, practices, and policies that better meet today’s student and faculty needs.
Key insights from the report include:
- Face-to-face is back—Instructor preference for in-person teaching jumped to 64%, up from 55% in 2023. Student interest in face-to-face and hybrid formats is rising in parallel, showing renewed demand for classroom connection.
- Student challenges go beyond academics—Nearly half of instructors cite academic anxiety as a top concern. Students report low motivation and weak study habits as persistent barriers to learning.
- Generative AI presents promise and pressure—Weekly GenAI use now spans 42% of students and 30% of instructors. While AI offers efficiencies, many faculty are burdened by assessment redesign and concerns about academic integrity.
- Data gaps limit timely support—Most instructors still rely on observation rather than platform analytics to gauge student engagement, missing opportunities to intervene and risking bias.
- Platforms must do more—Faculty who view platforms as student success tools, not just content hosts, report greater satisfaction and stronger access to data that informs instruction and support.