A recent report highlights contrasting preferences towards digital learning modes, including in-person, hybrid, and AI tools, among students, instructors, and administrators following the COVID-19 pandemic. The disparities in viewpoints and usage reflect a shifting landscape in educational approaches and technology integration.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new report by Tyton Partners in collaboration with Turnitin, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Lumina Foundation, and Macmillan Learning, highlights significant differences in perspectives on digital learning between students, instructors, and administrators. The study, based on a survey conducted in the spring semester of 2024 involving approximately 1,600 students, 1,800 instructors, and 300 administrators, underscores these disparities.
The report reveals that while over half of the instructors prefer in-person teaching, only 29 percent of students favor face-to-face learning. Conversely, 28 percent of students prefer hybrid learning, marking a six-percentage-point increase from 2023, whereas asynchronous online learning saw decreased preference among students. Hybrid learning, a combination of face-to-face and online learning, is especially favored by students needing more flexibility, such as student parents.
In contrast to the educators’ preferences, only 1 percent of professors favor HyFlex modes—simultaneous in-person and online sessions—while over 10 percent of students prefer this option.
The study also uncovers a widening gap in the usage and perception of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools among the groups surveyed. In 2024, 59 percent of students reported using generative AI monthly, up from 43 percent in the previous year. Comparatively, usage rates among instructors and administrators stood at 36 percent and 40 percent, respectively. The report notes an increase in institutions with AI policies—from 3 percent to 24 percent.
While 44 percent of regular student AI users pay for these technologies, only 13 percent of faculty do the same. Faculty also report that AI has increased their workload due to additional monitoring and assignment creation to prevent academic dishonesty.
Although students frequently use AI for tasks not necessarily considered cheating, such as internet searches or paraphrasing text, only a small fraction use it to complete assignments entirely. Notably, students are less convinced about AI’s relevance in their future careers than faculty and administrators and do not see it as the college’s responsibility to educate them on AI.
Catherine Shaw of Tyton Partners suggests that students feel self-sufficient in learning to use AI, bypassing institutional instruction.
