Using AI thoughtfully can improve university grades, study finds

Using artificial intelligence thoughtfully may improve university students’ grades, a University of Eastern Finland study reported by Yle has found. Students who wrote their own answers before asking AI for feedback performed better than other AI users and students who did not use AI.

The study examined take-home exams that students were allowed to complete with AI. Researchers asked them afterwards to describe how they had used the technology and identified three approaches.

Some students pasted exam questions into AI tools and copied the answers, sometimes with little or no editing. Others used AI to generate ideas and perspectives, then selected what to include in their answers. A third group wrote their own responses first and then asked AI for feedback or new viewpoints.

Assistant professor Outi Hakola said students who copied AI responses performed worst. Their answers showed less critical thinking and were even weaker than those of students who did not use AI, she said.

The research involved 891 students in 2023 and 2024. Of those, 159 said they had used AI for the take-home exam. Hakola believes AI use in studies has since become much more common.

Hakola advised students to treat AI more as a discussion partner than a source of ready-made answers. It can help them explore questions and consider a topic’s possible elements, she said, while the ideas and perspectives should still come from the student. The University of Eastern Finland also offers courses on using AI in thesis work. Its aim is to help students use AI in ways that support their work, Hakola said.