New Survey: According to Teachers, AI Usage Has Surged Since the Start of the School Year

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Jun 13, 2024, 09:00 ET

Half of teachers report an increase in the use of AI and continue to seek professional learning and guidelines around implementation

TEMPE, Ariz., June 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Imagine Learning, the largest provider of digital curriculum solutions in the U.S., serving 15 million students in more than half the school districts nationwide, today released findings from its update, "The 2024 Educator AI Report: Perceptions, Practices, and Potential," providing insight into how teachers' perceptions of AI use in the classroom have evolved since the start of the 2023–24 school year.

Key findings show that 50% of educators reported an increase in AI usage, by both students and teachers, over the 2023-24 school year. When specifically asked about generative AI tools, participants reported an 18% increase in use since first reported in September 2023. This rapid adoption highlights the significant role AI plays in today's classrooms.

Despite these advancements, 33% of educators remain dissatisfied with the current level of AI implementation, citing insufficient training, exposure, and lack of clear policies or guidelines. Schools must continue to prioritize effective AI implementation to fully realize its potential to enhance educational outcomes.

"Imagine Learning is dedicated to solving real problems for educators by integrating AI to reduce teachers' workloads, which will enable them to focus more on direct student engagement," said Sari Factor, Vice Chair and Chief Strategy Officer of Imagine Learning. "Our commitment to creating collaboratively with our education partners ensures that AI tools are practical and supportive, ultimately enhancing learning outcomes and providing timely feedback to students."

Other key findings from Imagine Learning's report include:

AI's Positive Impact: 55% of participants agree that generative AI will have a positive impact in the classroom. Expectations for accessibility have also remained consistent, with 88% believing that generative AI can positively impact accessibility.
Teacher Resources: 84% view training sessions, which include practical applications and ethical use of AI, as the most valuable tool to support generative AI implementation. However, only 28% believe they have the resources they need to address potential implementation issues of generative AI — a drop from 33% in the fall.
Popular Generative AI Use Cases: Participants see generative AI being used most often for analyzing student data (68%), creating instructional material (67%), and grading (65%). Currently, teachers have the most experience using tools for language processing (38%) and automatic grading (38%).
Top AI Concerns: When compared to September 2023 results, participants expressed increased concern with cheating (84% versus 72%) and misinterpretation of results (69% versus 54%). Seventy-four percent are also worried about the potential negative impact on students' writing abilities.

"The survey highlights how quickly AI is becoming a significant influence in today's classrooms," said Jason Fournier, Vice President of Product Management for AI Initiatives at Imagine Learning. "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."

Download the full report to see more of what teachers say about AI's role in the classroom. For comparison, you can find the previous iteration of the report from September 2023 here.

Methodology
The survey consisted of responses from 157 K–12 educators who work in districts across the U.S. Imagine Learning conducted the survey from April 24–May 6, 2024, through an online quantitative survey that was approximately seven minutes in length. 68% of respondents were teachers, 11% were school administrators, and 9% were support staff.

About Imagine Learning
Every classroom, every student is bursting with potential. That's why we pursue relentless innovation at the intersection of people, curricula, and technology. Imagine Learning creates K–12 digital-first solutions, working alongside educators to support 15 million students in over half of the districts nationwide. Our core portfolio includes Imagine IM, Imagine Learning EL Education, Twig^® Science, and Traverse^®. Our robust supplemental and intervention suite equips learners with personalized instruction for English and Spanish literacy, math, coding, and more. Imagine Edgenuity^® is our flagship courseware solution, complemented by Imagine School Services' Certified Teachers. Imagine Learning. Empower potential. Learn more at imaginelearning.com.

SOURCE Imagine Learning LLC