Survey shows rapid use of AI in education

Key points:

Educators continue to feel confident about integrating technology into their teaching and say they approach the use of ai with cautious optimism, and many plan to use it more, according to a new report from adaptive learning company HMH.

He Educator Confidence Report 2024 highlights evolving challenges and opportunities in education, draws on responses from more than 1,200 educators, and addresses critical issues from the K-12 level, including mental health, compensation concerns, and the growing role of technologies digital technologies, including generative ai, in transforming classrooms.

Perspectives on technology in the classroom

Over the past decade, educators have maintained a high level of confidence in their abilities to use technology to improve teaching and student achievement, with more than 90 percent of educators having some confidence or more each year. Many recognize its ability to save time, inform instruction, and support diverse learning needs.

Key findings include:

• 97 percent are confident in their ability to use technology educationally effectively.
• 66 percent say tools that connect instruction to complementary practice, intervention and assessment on one platform would be a game-changer.
• Of those teaching for 10 years or more, 81 percent believe technology has had a positive impact on the profession over the past decade.

Perspectives on Generative ai: Initial Optimism, Caution Ahead

2024 marks the first year of the ai ​​Confidence Index, a new key metric created to examine how educators feel about the impact and potential of generative ai. In just one year, educators' use of generative ai increased 5-fold.

Of the 50 percent of educators using generative ai:

• 76 percent believe GenAI is at least somewhat valuable to their work.
• 73 percent say it saves them time.
• 72 percent plan to use it even more in the next school year.

Educators overwhelmingly agree that tools using generative ai:

• They are an inevitable technological advance (77 percent)
• They should be used positively, with all users taught to use them ethically (84 percent)
• Need to meet teacher professional development needs to address their request (76 percent)

Still, caution remains among educators using generative ai about students using the technology to take shortcuts:

• 58 percent are concerned about plagiarism.
• 54 percent are concerned about overdependence on students.
• 35 percent are concerned about the lack of professional development or guidance on how to implement these tools safely and faithfully.

Those who have not been using generative ai tools are even more concerned (53 percent) about the need for professional development to use the technology safely and faithfully.

Teaching Perspectives: There is Work to Do

Over the past 10 years, educators have remained resilient, committed to improving education, and open to adopting new technologies. However, many still have negative opinions about the profession. In recent years, the mental health challenges faced by both students and teachers have received increased attention, and the report underscores how pressing these issues continue to be for educators.

• Educators' sentiment toward the profession is lower today than when the survey began in 2015: 41 percent of educators feel positive compared to 36 percent today. While there has been steady growth from a record low during the COVID-19 pandemic (+7 percent over 2023), 64 percent still have a negative opinion about the state of teaching and learning. Top concerns include inadequate compensation (68 percent), the mental health of fellow educators (64 percent), the mental health of their students (57 percent), and lack of funding (53 percent).
• Educators are less likely to leave the field than they were 10 years ago, but 41 percent say they haven't ruled it out yet and 26 percent say they will leave the field within the next five years.

“Over the past decade, our nation's educators have faced immense challenges that persist today. They have also demonstrated remarkable resilience and a willingness to embrace new technologies that can have real impact,” said Jack Lynch, CEO of HMH. “As we look to the future, there will be exciting new opportunities to merge the power of technology with the traditional social aspects of the classroom.”

“This year's ECR gives me a lot of hope, as while we have a lot of work to do to improve the professional experience of teachers, there is increased positivity on the part of teachers who want to stay in the field,” said Francie Alexander, Vice President research senior. HMH. “As one of the biggest influences in students' lives, we must ensure that teachers have the tools, technology and professional learning supports they need to help every student obtain a quality education.”

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Laura Ascione is the editorial director of eSchool Media. He graduated from the prestigious Philip Merrill School of Journalism at the University of Maryland.

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