"Approximately 90% of 1,100 U.S. students surveyed at two-year and four-year colleges in 2025 reported using generative AI for everything from drafting assignments to clarifying complex concepts. But when students use AI as a tutor or study partner, not as an immediate answer generator, does it make it easier or harder for them to learn?"
"We named the tool Macro Buddy and trained it to guide some students at one of our undergraduate macroeconomics classes at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, through their reasoning rather than giving them direct answers. We found in our research, conducted in spring 2025, that students who used Macro Buddy, alongside peer discussion, earned higher exam scores than students who worked alone, without this AI tutor."
While approximately 90% of surveyed U.S. college students use generative AI for coursework, concerns exist that AI usage may hinder learning rather than facilitate it. Economists designed Macro Buddy, an AI tutoring tool based on ChatGPT that guides students through reasoning processes rather than providing direct answers. The tool was implemented in an undergraduate macroeconomics course with 140 first and second-year students across four sections. Research conducted in spring 2025 demonstrated that students using Macro Buddy alongside peer discussion achieved higher exam scores than students studying alone without AI assistance, suggesting that AI tools designed as learning guides rather than answer generators can enhance educational outcomes.
Read at Fast Company
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