The idea of students using AI to complete their assignments was one I hadn’t encountered before joining Turnitin nine years ago. Before my tenure here, I had nearly 20 years of experience as an educator, where I touched nearly every level of education - teacher, literacy facilitator, middle school principal, district leader of literacy and English Language Learner programs, and adjunct professor working with rising educators.
For each of those roles, as well as the one I hold today, my belief that literacy is the cornerstone of learning and thinking has only deepened, even now in the age of AI. Furthermore, writing, in particular, is critical for both learning and assessment, and educators play an essential role in developing students’ critical thinking, formulating their voice and agency. AI has not changed that.
These days, at Turnitin, I lead a team of fellow educators and digital customer engagement experts who support institutions and instructors around the world. As AI continues to evolve, Turnitin remains committed to learning and listening from experts, customers, parents and students about the relationship between education and AI.
Recently, Turnitin partnered with Vanson Bourne*, an independent specialist in market research for the technology sector, to better understand the state of AI in secondary and higher education. The survey, entitled Crossroads: Navigating the intersection of AI in education, showcases the perspectives of students, educators and academic administrators across six countries.
As a former educator, I want to explore the survey results deeply and offer my insights on the opportunities, responsibilities, risks, and concerns surrounding AI in education by connecting the data to the realities of how it all plays out in classrooms and lecture halls.
Recent survey highlights new educational demands in AI world
Working alongside Vanson Bourne, Turnitin sought out diverse perspectives. They surveyed higher education students, as well as educators and academic administrators in secondary and higher education across Australia/New Zealand, India, Mexico, United Kingdom/Ireland, and the United States, to better understand the educational landscape in the age of AI.
Overall, the different perceptions students, educators, and administrators have around students using AI most interested me. As I have mentioned many times before, and at industry presentations, there must be a balance between the benefits of using the technology and the potential for over-reliance, misuse, and learning loss.
Below are a few key insights from the survey:
- 64% of students worry about the use of AI within education, outpacing academic administrators and educators. Though educators (50%) and academic administrators (41%) surveyed are also worried about the use of AI in education, students expressed the greatest concern. For educators and students alike, over-reliance on AI and potential loss of critical thinking skills were identified as top risks of AI use, while academic administrators listed data privacy and security breaches as one of their top concerns.
- 95% of academic administrators, educators, and students surveyed believe AI is being misused. Although 78% of all survey participants feel positive about the impacts that AI is having on education, 74% noted that the volume and availability of AI is overwhelming.
- Organizations expect a future workforce that is AI-ready, but 67% of surveyed students feel they are shortcutting their learning by using AI. Among students using AI, half also report not knowing how to get the most benefit from it in their studies. Still, AI adoption and usage remains high, with 70% of surveyed students saying they use it at least occasionally for their assignments.
The data points above invite important questions for educators to consider as they experiment with the technology themselves, develop lesson plans and syllabi, create writing assignments, and prepare for one-on-one coaching conversations with students:
- How do we help students learn to use AI effectively and responsibly?
- How can we maintain integrity and promote deep thinking while also evolving our practice to include the use of these omnipresent tools?
- How do we gain visibility into the writing process, not just the end-product?
Your first answer to these questions may not be a Turnitin solution, but for me - it is. These questions are exactly why I’m excited about our newest solution, Turnitin Clarity , launching later this year. It is designed to help both secondary and higher education instructors support student writing with more transparency, structure, and collaboration.
Why Turnitin Clarity matters
Even now, years after leaving the classroom, I still think like an educator, and honestly, that’s part of my role at Turnitin! Despite that, it isn’t often that a tool comes along that truly makes me wish I were back at the front of the room, guiding students through the writing process, draft-by-draft.
Turnitin Clarity is that kind of tool. Available as an extension of Turnitin Feedback Studio later this year, this capability is built to support the way educators teach writing—not just assess it—and, at the same time, help students compose their own writing submissions with confidence. Whether educators are in a high school English department, a university writing program, or use writing to assess learning, Turnitin Clarity offers much-needed insight and structure alongside other integrity insights offered by Turnitin Feedback Studio.
Here’s why I believe it is a disruptor with immense potential for every member of the educational community - not just students:
- One-stop writing space: Students can draft, revise, and submit within the LMS they already know and use—building confidence where they’re comfortable, staying aligned with assignment goals.
- Responsible AI use: Turnitin Clarity’s AI writing assistant gives students an environment where they can experience a supported, ethical way to use AI, bridging the gap between curiosity and conscientious application.
- Integrated integrity tools: From similarity checking to AI indication and submission metrics, Turnitin Clarity brings every piece of the integrity puzzle together in one place. No more need to search reports across multiple tools.
- Collaborative writing experience: This solution isn’t about catching students—it’s about supporting and guiding them. With Turnitin Clarity, feedback becomes a natural part of the process, encouraging growth and trust. And finally, the benefit that has me truly excited…
- Process insights for educators: From typed versus pasted text to revision timelines and AI use indicators, educators get a full view of how the work takes shape—enabling more targeted, supportive feedback. For me, the insights that Turnitin Clarity will provide about student writing choices and behaviors is remarkable. These are the types of behaviors I tried to tease out of students in writing conferences throughout my times as an educator. And the feedback? Well, we know very well how powerful effective feedback can be.
Preparing students for the future
The recent study also reveals a striking series of dots, that when connected, reveals data-informed view of the future:
- 67% of students feel they’re shortcutting learning with AI.
- 50% of students surveyed say they don’t know how to get the most from AI.
- Students using AI already make up a significant majority, with 70% reporting at least occasional use for assignments.
This tells us that while students have adopted AI quickly and are using it extensively, it is often without clarity or confidence. That’s where administrators and educators can help.
Educators can, and must, bridge that gap. Whenever I’m asked whether I’m worried about where education is or where it's headed, I always respond, “I trust educators.” They have always risen to the challenge, and they will again. Turnitin Clarity can be a beneficial resource in that effort, helping educators to ensure that students meet academic goals and prepare for a society and workforce that expects, even assumes, AI literacy
When students learn to engage with AI within the guardrails educators provide, they build skills that go far beyond the classroom: critical thinking, revision, reflection, and ethical decision-making.
At Turnitin, that’s why we do and will continue to do this work— to empower educators and students to not only keep up with the change, but also to meet it with clarity, integrity, and confidence.
Methodology
Turnitin commissioned Vanson Bourne to survey a total of 3,500 respondents, including academic administrators (500), educators (500) and students (2,500) in August 2024, with interviews in Australia (350)/New Zealand (350), India (700), Mexico (700), U.K. / Ireland (700), and the U.S. (700). The academic administrators and educators were from both secondary (500) and higher education institutions (500), whilst students were from higher education institutions, studying both full time (2,064) and part time (436). The survey was conducted online using a rigorous multi-level screening process to ensure that only suitable candidates were given the opportunity to participate.
*Turnitin was a partner in providing compensation to conduct Vanson Bourne’s research.