EPFL Students Use AI as Coursework Learning Tool

Generative AI has rapidly become a routine study aid at EPFL, where more than 90 percent of students use it for coursework, according to a survey led by the school’s student-delegate AI working group. Sent last winter to around 12,000 bachelor’s and master’s students, the survey drew 359 responses from a representative sample across majors and study levels. It shows that since ChatGPT’s late-2022 launch, AI models have spread quickly among students, especially for scheduling, note-taking, completing assignments, reviewing mistakes, practicing exams and managing study-related stress. About three-fourths of AI users find the tools effective for explaining course material, while two-thirds use them to help solve weekly homework problems. Usage varies by field, with computer science students adopting more advanced workflows and mathematics students more cautious about statistical prediction. Most students, however, keep AI within academic boundaries: 40 percent do not use it outside coursework, and among the 60 percent who do, use is mainly for answering everyday questions. The survey also found students are broadly aware of AI’s risks, including bias, misuse, privacy concerns, IT-security threats, polarization and negative social or environmental impacts. EPFL’s Teaching Support Center, or CAPE, published two handbooks this year to help students use AI responsibly, warning against outsourcing cognitive effort rather than using AI to deepen learning. Students reported little pressure to use the technology, with 85 percent saying they feel little or none, and 60 percent noting teacher encouragement. Overall, faculty appear open to informed, transparent, moderate and responsible AI use in teaching.