Research

Teachers Report Increase in AI Usage

• By Rhea Kelly
• 06/20/24

Half of educators in a recent survey said that AI usage among students and teachers has increased since the fall of this school year. The survey, conducted by digital curriculum provider Imagine Learning, polled 157 K–12 teachers, staff, and administrators in districts across the United States about their perceptions of AI use in the classroom.

The majority of respondents (86%) considered themselves familiar with AI in general education. They reported the most familiarity with language processing, automatic grading, and generative AI tools — and survey participants were most likely to have been trained on those same tools during the 2023-2024 school year. Respondents were least familiar with AI tools for personalized learning, data analysis, and scheduling/administrative tasks.

Still, a third of respondents (33%) felt dissatisfied with the current level of AI implementation within their school or district. Among the reasons for dissatisfaction cited: a lack of district-level strategy; lack of training, support, and policy/guidelines; ethical concerns; lack of data and tools; and need for culture change. More than one-third of respondents (37%) said that a district-level policy would be the most effective way to establish best practices for AI use.

Additional findings include:

• 55% of respondents said that generative AI will have a positive impact in the classroom.
• 88% believe generative AI can positively impact accessibility.
• 84% consider AI training, including sessions on practical applications and ethical use of AI, the most valuable tool to support generative AI implementation.
• Just 28% feel they have the resources to address potential generative AI implementation issues.
• Respondents see the most potential for generative AI in analyzing student data (cited by 68%), creating instructional material (67%), and grading (65%).
• Top AI concerns include cheating (cited by 84% of respondents), misinterpretation of results (69%), and negative impact on students' writing abilities (74%).

"The survey highlights how quickly AI is becoming a significant influence in today's classrooms," commented Jason Fournier, vice president of product management for AI Initiatives at Imagine Learning, in a statement. "We are focused on deeply integrating AI into our products and tools to meet educators' needs, ensuring each student benefits from personalized, effective learning experiences. By addressing these challenges, we aim to provide enriched educational opportunities to every student."

"The 2024 Educator AI Report: Perceptions, Practices, and Potential" is freely available for download on the Imagine Learning site.