How universities are using AI tools to enhance student learning

If you are someone who’s always on the lookout for new skills you can develop and like doing so very efficiently, you will absolutely love having access to these interactive AI learning tools. 

FLEXA by POLIMI Graduate School of Management  

FLEXA is an AI-infused digital tool developed by POLIMI Graduate School of Management in partnership with Microsoft. This tool has been in use at POLIMI for several years and is also available for anyone to use for free.  

FELXA primarily focuses on providing users with a personalised learning and development plan aligning with their individual goals and skillset.  

If you are a first-time user, FLEXA will prompt you to take its comprehensive assessment which is crucial in evaluating your aspirations and current skillset. Following your assessment results, FLEXA will then use AI to create and suggest personalised training courses to fit your plan.  

The tool not only has an ecosystem of about 800,000 learning resources, including online courses, webinars, podcasts and case studies, but also a feature to network with other users in the platform. 

AI Jockey by Nazarbayev University 

Developed as an interactive teaching model to enhance classroom learning, AI Jockey sessions are a new concept at Nazarbayev University where students take turns engaging with a large language model during live lectures.  

The student in the role of ‘AI Jockey’ gets the chance to generate examples, clarify tricky points, or even challenge the lecturer’s arguments using AI. The results would then appear on a second screen, turning lectures into dynamic discussions rather than one‑way presentations.  

This interactive learning approach not only makes the concepts you learn in the classroom more memorable, but it also helps you develop future-focused skills like critical thinking and AI prompt engineering along with essential AI literacy. 

We all know that ChatGPT is great at finding solutions to whatever questions we have, but these AI learning assistants have the added benefit of knowing specific information about your particular course and university, helping you with your lessons and assignments.  

ESSEC Business School’s eProfessor 

Developed by Professor Fabrice Cavarretta, this eProfessor tool turns the professor into a virtual avatar that can answer student questions on his behalf.  

eProf Cavarretta is fed with customised GPTs and Professor Cavaretta’s entire corpus along with very specific instructions on how to answer student queries. 

“The goal is to have the algorithm answer questions with a specific spin, similar to how I would explain concepts to my students,” he said.  

“I believed that people would be interested in hearing the expert’s perspective rather than a general answer generated by a search engine or a generic algorithm.”  

As this tool is trained on Professor Cavarretta’s own work, it’s especially useful if you want to dive deeper into his teachings and research. Whether you’re a current student looking to clarify questions outside of class, a former student wanting a quick refresher, or someone who’d like to learn more about Professor Cavaretta’s research interests, eProf Cavarretta is a convenient way to stay connected with his insights. 

AI Learning Assistant (AILA) at the University of Melbourne 

This generative AI tool which is currently in active development by the University of Melbourne was created primarily as a learning resource to help students, assisting them with their queries based on guidance set by subject coordinators. 

If you’re a student at the University of Melbourne, you can use this tool as a course-specific ChatGPT and even get help with clarifying concepts and testing your knowledge in a structured way during revision sessions. 

OPIT AI Copilot by Open Institute of Technology  

Designed to tackle the learning needs of its community, the Open Institute of Technology has launched its own AI agent, OPIT AI Copilot. This tool is trained on OPIT’s entire educational archive, including 131 courses, around 3,500 hours of video content and 320 certified assessments.   

“The OPIT AI Copilot is designed to enhance the higher education experience for both students and staff by delivering personalised, relevant, and practical support,” explained Riccardo Ocleppo, founder and director of OPIT. 

“It is built on three core principles: specific assistance based on exact learning materials, adaptivity to each student and being a hands-on environment for experimentation and improvement.”  

During exams, the tool has the capability to automatically switch to ‘anti-cheating’ mode, by detecting the exam period and automatically transitioning from a study assistant to basic research tool, disabling direct answers on exam topics.  

If you decide to study remotely with OPIT from thousands of miles away, this AI tool’s 24/7 support will be a gamechanger for you to tackle the challenges that often come along due to time zone differences.   

OPIT’s AI Copilot not only assists students but also supports faculty and staff by grading assignments and generating educational materials, freeing up more of their time for teaching. 

Access to ChatGPT Edu at Frankfurt School of Finance & Management  

Rather than developing its own AI, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management is now integrating OpenAI’s ChatGPT Edu directly into its teaching, research, and administrative systems.  

This means if you’re planning to enrol in a degree programme at Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, you will automatically get premium access to ChatGPT Edu. This will allow you to draft assignments, explore complex topics, and even collaborate more efficiently, all within a secure, university-managed environment. 

Vlerick Assignment Profiler by Vlerick Business School 

Last but not least, is a tool that’s more useful for educators at universities when it comes to giving out assessments. You might wonder, “If this tool is for professors, why does it matter to me as a student?” The answer is, that it helps ensure your assignments actually measure your skills rather than just what an AI can produce.  

“The profiler acts as a catalyst for redesigning assessments that are more dynamic, applied and reflective of real-world challenges,” explained Steve Muylle, Full Professor of Digital Strategy and Business Marketing at Vlerick Business School. 

“It pushes us toward learning activities, assignments and assessments that promote originality, collaboration, and adaptive, critical thinking, skills our graduates need in a world where AI is increasingly embedded in every sector.” 

The Vlerick Assignment Profiler, developed by Vlerick Business School, checks whether an assignment could be completed entirely using generative AI. If it can, professors are prompted to redesign the task, so it requires real human thinking and creativity. In other words, it protects the value of your work and the quality of your degree. 

To wrap up the article on a final dose of insight, we asked a learning experience designer, Shruti Ryali, who leads quality and experience at beVisioneers: The Mercedes-Benz Fellowship, for her one piece of advice to students as AI becomes part of university life.  

She said: “When used with intention, AI becomes less of a shortcut and more of a catalyst: a tool to expand perspective, sharpen thinking, and support self-directed learning.  

“My advice to students is simple: use AI to challenge yourself, not to bypass effort. Ask it to explain, to critique, to generate - then pause and decide what you think. Use it to ask better questions, test ideas, or clarify tricky concepts - but always lead with your own values and voice. 

“AI can support your study - but real growth happens when you do the thinking that comes after. And in a world increasingly shaped by AI, empathy matters more than ever. The best use of these tools comes from a place of curiosity, humility, and care - for others, for the planet, and for the impact your ideas can have. It’s not AI that sets you apart, it’s how you use it to think deeper, act wiser, and stay human.”