How Imperial is dealing with the rise in students using AI
As research shows up to 92% of students across the UK use AI in some form for their studies , Imperial begins to adapt for the future.
Student use of AI has increased as Large Language Models such as ChatGPT or Claude become more accessible to consumers, with a recent survey conducted by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) f inding that 92% of students using AI in some form and 88% of students having used generative AI (GenAI) in assessments, an increase from 66% and 53% respectively in 2024.
“The data presented in this report is not very unexpected, from my point of view,” said Alan Spivey, professor of synthetic chemistry and chair of the working group of AI tools in teaching and assessment . “The data we have from other sources and also from surveys at Imperial would suggest that GenAI tools are being used very widely.”
The working group was established in mid-2023, in response to the launch of ChatGPT the previous year. They held a town hall to present principles on how to “stress test” assessments and make sure what teaching staff is examining is aligned with intended teaching outcomes.
The use of AI tools in the classroom was explored early on at Imperial College Business School. A business professor required students to use a generative AI tool to provide a skeleton for an essay on a given topic;. Tthey had to show how they added value to the skeleton by fact checking, revising, and adding ideas.
“You can do that conversation with a generative AI system and demonstrate that you as an individual are adding and working with GenAI,” said Spivey. “I think that works quite well.”
Spivey added that teaching staff are trying to set assessments that closely mirror the sorts of tasks and challenges one might encounter in the workplace. For instance, applying knowledge in a certain scenario is an example of task where GenAI can help with the fundamental concepts but the interpretation is left up to the student.
Imperial has also provided funding for projects exploring digital education . Many projects are focusing on how and when to use AI to provide feedback on assessments.
“We can see that you can use AI to give students very rapid and quite rich feedback,” explained Spivey. “But where [is] that line [drawn] between when you have that sort of bot-driven feedback and when you talk to a professor about it?”
Spivey went on to explain that teaching staff don’t want to alienate students, but at the same time sees the value in very timely feedback.
The university has also appointed Artificial Intelligence Futurists, which are members of staff tasked with understanding how the community will response to new technology in the education field.
“The purpose… was saying, ‘can we look into the future?’” said Spivey. “Can we have a kind of crystal ball and ask ourselves what a curriculum of the future will look like in our sort of disciplinary areas?”
The AI Futurists have been in place for nearly a year now, where they’ve been liaising with staff and providing training to understand the capabilities of GenAI.
In chemistry for instance, researchers will soon be able to use GenAI-based algorithmic systems to get suggestions on how to make molecules and potentially synthesize the desired molecules using robots, vastly accelerating drug discovery.
“We need to make sure that that sort of revolution is reflected in our curriculum,” said Spivey.
