Students want to incorporate AI into their learning but they need help from their institutions to do it appropriately. One pivotal customer executive roundtable discussion focused on how innovative institutions can rise to this challenge, bringing together senior education leaders to discuss strategic priorities in the sector.
Building on our previous two articles on this topic – which discuss strategic pivots in AI governance and new pedagogical approaches to assessment – we now turn to the impact these changes can have on student AI literacy and academic outcomes, and how Turnitin Clarity can help institutions bridge the AI guidance gap.
Get the full picture
This article is 3 of 3 arising from our executive roundtables.
- Article one: Strategies for AI governance
- Article two: A new focus for assessment design
- Article three: Adapting AI for learning (you are here)
Support, not surveillance: How students want to use AI for learning
Research from Vanson Bourne/Turnitinfinds that 50% of students are confident and capable of navigating responsible AI use when supported by clear guidance, thoughtful design, and feedback-rich environments. However:
- 47% are scared to use AI for fear of being accused of cheating
- 59% are worried AI could reduce their critical thinking skills
- 49% are worried about becoming overreliant on AI
This landscape risks creating a two-tier system; one where some students benefit from integrating AI into their learning strategies while others fall behind. This has implications for both student outcomes and graduate readiness for the AI workforce.
The situation is particularly concerning as research finds AI confidence already varies by gender, socioeconomic group, and ethnicity (HEPI), meaning that a lack of guidance could potentially reinforce existing inequalities in education.
Clear guidelines on acceptable AI use help students shift their mindset from the risks of AI to its opportunities.
Encouragingly, one-third of institutions represented at Turnitin’s customer roundtable event are prioritizing guidance to support responsible AI use in students. Others are focusing on redesigning assessments to emphasize process, metacognition, and authentic learning experiences.
Combining them into a multifaceted institutional response to AI for learning enables institutions to support students and protect academic integrity from every angle:
- Guidance on responsible AI for learning, such as using it for tailored study support and formative feedback .
- Pedagogic approaches that model responsible AI use in students, while supporting critical thinking and reflective practice.
- Assessment redesign to emphasise process, rather than product, and recognise authentic learning and development.
Global approaches to integrating AI for learning
Education leaders from around the globe shared examples of how they’re bridging this guidance gap at Turnitin’s executive roundtable. For example:
- In Indonesia, AI tutors/chatbots deliver customized, real-time, multilingual assistance (Luckyardi et al. 2024), while adaptive platforms tailor learning and assessment content to individual learner needs.
- In Malaysia, AI is being used to personalize evaluation and learning design, supported by national policy to drive AI adoption across the economy and in education.
- In Australia, institutions are combining digital capabilities with mentorship, student reflection, and scaffolded writing processes to create a multifaceted approach to AI for learning.
These examples demonstrate that there’s an evolution underway, pivoting from reactively limiting AI use to proactively guiding its responsible integration into student workflows.
It isn’t just about academic integrity and responsible AI use in students; it’s about supporting students to be accountable for their learning, so they can cultivate transparent learning practices, and take ownership of their academic outcomes.
Introducing Turnitin Clarity: Visibility into the student writing process
It isn’t just institutional strategy and pedagogic practice that are evolving. Technology vendors are also responding to student and educator needs by introducing AI into their platforms. Tools like Turnitin Clarity have been developed to support student AI literacy and drive grading efficiency for educators.
During the executive roundtable, participants explored Turnitin Clarity, which helps bridge the guidance gap by supporting responsible AI integration into student workflows and guiding authentic composition practices.
Turnitin Clarity supports the writing journey with contextual, formative feedback tailored to a student’s individual work. It can provide feedback on composition and structure, strength of argument, grammar, and originality. This helps students refine their work before submission, reducing their reliance on tutors.
It also frees tutors to provide more meaningful feedback on the work that is submitted, rather than correcting foundational issues.
Used within a clear guidance framework for responsible AI integration, Turnitin Clarity provides students with approved AI writing tools, tailored real-time feedback, and ongoing scaffolding to guide them through the writing process.
Behind the scenes, educators benefit from increased visibility into the student writing process, helping them understand how the student composed their assignment and identify any areas where the student may have leaned too heavily on AI.
This provides opportunities for open discussions and targeted mentoring, empowering educators to coach students on effective composition strategies, responsible AI use, and reflective learning practices.
From detection to development: Better outcomes, better relationships
Participants were impressed by the potential of this functionality to support the shift to process-focused assessment.
‘Turnitin Clarity makes visible what is often hidden, the process behind student work. That visibility is important in a world where AI is part of how students learn, think, and write. When students and educators can both see the learning journey, the conversation shifts,’ says Dr Farrah of Australia’s RMIT University.
‘It becomes less about policing and more about development. Integrity becomes less about rule enforcement and more about nurturing critical thinking, ownership, and original contribution. That is the kind of learning that endures.’
Executive roundtable: Key takeaways
The data from Turnitin’s extensive research and executive roundtables reflects an ecosystem that is increasingly aware, optimistic, and ready to act. But one that still needs clearer pathways, trusted tools, and consistent training to fully realise the transformative potential of AI for learning.
Turnitin is uniquely positioned to support institutions in this evolution by:
- Helping education leaders pivot their strategy towards academic integrity, responsible AI, and faculty/student training
- Providing integrated solutions like Clarity, Authorship, Feedback Studio, and AI detection that support teaching, learning, and remediation – not just policing
- Partnering with institutions to redesign assessments, empower educators, and ensure alignment with regulatory expectations and innovation goals
As our executive customer roundtables demonstrate, Turnitin is not just a technology vendor. It is a strategic ally in building AI-resilient, integrity-driven institutions globally.
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