Using AI partners before class boosts student discussion participation
How assigned AI use before class shapes active student engagement in class
Human-Computer InteractionArtificial Intelligence
Summary
Many classrooms are starting to use AI tools, but it’s unclear if they really help students learn better. This study tested how practicing with a voice-based AI partner before class affected MBA students’ participation in discussions. After using the AI partner twice, students spoke up about 31% more in class and felt more comfortable and believed they learned more. However, using the AI did not make them feel more focused or motivated. These findings show that practicing talking with an AI can help students be more active learners.
What this means in practice
- •For education technology developers: Create voice-based AI discussion partners to increase student participation and confidence in live classroom discussions.$Commercial implications: Enables development of AI-driven classroom tools sold to educational institutions wanting to boost active student engagement.
- •For corporate training designers: Design pre-session AI practice interactions that encourage employees to participate more actively in live training discussions.
Authors
Dan J. Wang, Neelam Modi Jain, Vanessa Burbano, Jorge Guzman, Daniel Keum, Soomi Kim, Bruce Kogut, Nataliya Wright
Abstract
AI learning tools are rapidly entering classrooms, but evidence about whether they help students learn is mixed and rests mostly on test scores. Comparatively less research addresses whether the use of AI changes students' live learning behaviors in class. Here, we report the results of a preregistered field experiment with 759 MBA students enrolled in ten sections of a course, in which each student was randomly assigned two of ten class sessions to prepare for with a purpose-built voice-based AI discussion partner. After two uses of the AI discussion partner, students made about 31% more voluntary contributions in each later class session. Students who used the AI discussion partner more also reported greater comfort speaking up and greater perceived learning, but not greater focus or motivation. These findings suggest that repeated practice with a voice-based AI partner can meaningfully increase students' engagement in class discussion, enhancing a critical intermediate learning outcome.