3 Introduction
A few words about the 2024/25 students as editors and the support team
Learning with AI has received many contributions since the project opened itself up to submissions. Student submissions are detailing how they collaborate daily with AI in their education. These contributions have come from around the United Kingdom and other parts of the world and are from different levels and fields of study, making it an incredibly interesting source of information about how current students study using AI. It has been fascinating to read these contributions and gain inspiration for ways to enhance our own studying as university students. Our project team consists of staff from different parts of the university and two student editors, us, Olivia and Amani, a postgraduate and undergraduate student at the University of Leeds.
2024/25 contributions
Since launching the call for contributions, we have received 28 submissions in total, with 5 contributors opting to publish their work anonymously. To encourage participation, all contributors were entered into a prize draw, and three were randomly selected to receive a small cash prize for their entries.
Contributors represent a wide range of academic backgrounds and stages of study:
- Level of study: 6 undergraduate students, 16 taught postgraduate students, and 6 postgraduate research students.
- Disciplines: Accounting and Finance, Biology, Childhood Studies, Computer Science, Digital and Distance Education, Healthcare, International Business, Law, Leadership, Management and Human Resources, Philosophy and Ethics, and Psychology.
In terms of nationality, the majority of our contributors (96%) were based in the Global North at the time of submission, while 4% were based in the Global South. However, this does not account for the nationalities of international students whose perspectives also enrich this collection. Submissions came from students residing in the UK (23), USA (1), Canada (1), Greece (1), Mauritius (1), and another Greece-based student studying remotely in the UK (1).
From the contributions received, several clear patterns emerged in how students are engaging with GenAI to support their learning. Many highlighted the value of enhanced understanding and explanation, noting how GenAI can clarify difficult material through multiple approaches, step-by-step solutions, and concrete examples. Others emphasised its role in interactive and dialogic learning, describing it as a conversational partner that encourages critical thinking and reflection. Emotional and motivational support also featured strongly, with students reporting that GenAI made learning feel more engaging, less isolating, and more confidence-building.
Beyond this, contributors recognised its capacity to foster creative and reflective thinking, helping them brainstorm ideas, overcome writer’s block, and reflect on pedagogical choices. Students also pointed to its potential in supporting accessibility and inclusion, particularly for non-native speakers and those with diverse learning needs.
Importantly, many contributors demonstrated a strong ethical awareness, stressing academic integrity, responsibility, and the importance of using GenAI appropriately. Finally, students valued the personalisation and agency it afforded them, framing education as an active, creative, and deeply personal journey. Together, these themes offer a rich snapshot of the opportunities and responsibilities that GenAI brings into students’ learning lives.
A living book
Our book is your book. Even after it has been published, it will continue growing. We see it as a living book. Therefore, the invitation to contribute remains open. We invite all university students (undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral) to continue contributing. We are looking for examples that show how you have used or are currently using GenAI to support your learning, how you are learning with AI. We are looking for short contributions of about 500-700 words. We also welcome submissions that are slightly longer.
The call will remain open until the 1st of June 2028. All submissions will be reviewed, and you will be supported if your submission needs a little bit of extra work. To submit your entry please use this online survey link.
Thank you
We would like to thank everybody who has supported and is supporting this project, and especially our sponsors Professor Jeff Grabill, DVC Student Education until July 2025 and thereafter Professor Kenneth McDowall, Interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Student Education and Experience from July 2025, and Dr Margaret Korosec, Director of Digital Education and Learning Innovation at the University of Leeds.
We would also like to thank Digital Education Service (DES) and Stephen Gosnell and Francine Rackham for helping us identify students and sponsoring these, The University of Leeds Library, the Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence (LITE) and the LITE Digital and Open Education Incubator for their generous support to this project.
Olivia Davies and Amani Ahsan, The Editors 2024/25
