AI Tools in Education: What Are Students Using? | Quick Takes: Teaching in an AI World

Most college students now use AI for their classes, and not just to write papers. In about four minutes, this video covers how US students use AI, the main types of AI tools, two terms worth knowing, and where AI may show up on your own campus. Free download: AI Tools in Education Faculty Brief (PDF), with full sources: https://stillessential.com/#resources Free for individual educators to use and adapt in their own classes. For campus, school, or district-wide use, or a version customized for your institution, please visit stillessential.com to start a conversation. Chapters: 0:00 Most students use AI 0:35 How US students use AI 1:01 Types of AI tools 2:02 Terms worth knowing 2:38 AI on your campus 3:18 What this means for your course AI use transparency: I made this video with help from Claude, an AI assistant from Anthropic, for research and drafting. I reviewed and revised it over multiple rounds. Current as of October 2026. AI changes fast, so check stillessential.com for the latest. About me: I'm Leslie. I've worked in education for more than 20 years, including 18 in higher education. On this channel, I share ideas to help you teach in an AI world. Sources: Bowdoin College Hastings AI Initiative. (2025). AI glossary: From basic to technical terms. https://www.bowdoin.edu/hastings-ai-i... Business Insider. (2024, May). Google’s AI search feature suggested using glue to keep cheese sticking to a pizza. https://www.yahoo.com/tech/googles-ai... Google Workspace Updates. (2025, September 11). Educators and students can now create flashcards, quizzes and new reports in NotebookLM. https://workspaceupdates.googleblog.c... Lumina Foundation & Gallup. (2026). AI in higher education: Widespread use, unclear rules. https://www.luminafoundation.org/wp-c... Marken, S. (2026, April 1). AI is routine for college students, despite campus limits. Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/704090/r... Palmer, K. (2026, May 12). Half of campus tech leaders question AI’s ROI. Inside Higher Ed. (Inside Higher Ed/Hanover Research 2026 Survey of Campus Chief Technology/Information Officers, 130 respondents.) https://www.insidehighered.com/news/t... Stephenson, R., & Armstrong, C. (2026). Student generative AI survey 2026 (HEPI Report 199). Higher Education Policy Institute. https://www.hepi.ac.uk/wp-content/upl... University of Colorado Boulder, Office of Information Technology. (2026). Canvas IgniteAI feature preview. https://oit.colorado.edu/services/con... #AIinEducation #HigherEd #K12 #FacultyDevelopment #TeachingWithAI #QMConnect