Understanding Barriers to AI Adoption in Higher Education: Insights from LAPU’s Spark Assistant

The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) has introduced groundbreaking opportunities in education, with AI tools like LAPU's Spark course assistant designed to enhance academic performance, motivation, and learning efficiency. Yet, despite its proven potential, Spark remains underutilized by a significant portion of students at Los Angeles Pacific University (LAPU). Our recent study delves into the reasons behind this phenomenon, offering insights into the barriers to adoption and strategies to bridge this gap.

Why AI in Higher Education Matters

AI’s transformative potential in education cannot be overstated. Tools like Spark, which utilize the Socratic method, offer personalized guidance without completing assignments for students, fostering critical thinking and deeper engagement. Preliminary data from LAPU shows that students using Spark perform better academically and exhibit higher motivation and self-efficacy compared to non-users.

Despite these benefits, 68% of LAPU students reported not using Spark during the Summer 2024 term. This discrepancy between potential and actual adoption highlights critical challenges that must be addressed to maximize the impact of AI in higher education.

Key Barriers to Adoption

Using a mixed-methods approach, our study identified three primary barriers contributing to Spark’s underutilization:

1. Perception of Unnecessity

   • The most prevalent reason (41% of responses) was a belief that Spark was unnecessary. Students felt they could navigate their coursework using other resources or their existing skills without additional support.

2. Lack of Interest or Motivation

   • Some students (6.8% of responses) expressed disinterest in engaging with Spark, citing personal preferences or skepticism about its effectiveness.

3. Awareness and Familiarity Gaps

   • Another common theme was a lack of awareness or understanding of Spark. Some students reported forgetting about the tool, while others indicated they were unfamiliar with how to use it or its potential benefits.

Additional barriers included technical challenges, a preference for traditional methods, and reliance on alternative tools, such as ChatGPT.

What These Findings Tell Us

The data revealed a critical insight: most students do not actively reject AI tools like Spark; rather, they fail to see their value or are unaware of their availability. Neutral sentiment dominated student feedback, suggesting that resistance is not rooted in distrust or dislike but in practicality and situational factors.

This highlights a broader challenge in higher education: how to effectively integrate innovative tools into student workflows and demonstrate their unique benefits. The findings underscore the need for improved communication, training, and structural integration to bridge the gap between potential and actual usage.

Strategies for Increasing Adoption

To address these barriers, institutions must take proactive steps to foster engagement with AI tools. Based on our findings, we propose the following strategies:

1. Enhanced Communication and Awareness

   • Regular, multi-channel reminders—via email, learning management systems, and apps—can help ensure students are aware of AI tools like Spark. Short, targeted videos showcasing Spark’s capabilities could further spark interest.

2. Training and Support

   • Offering onboarding workshops, tutorials, and peer mentoring programs can reduce the intimidation factor associated with new technologies. Early exposure to Spark in low-stakes environments may encourage long-term adoption.

3. Curricular Integration

   • Embedding AI tools into coursework, such as requiring Spark for certain assignments, can normalize its use and highlight its relevance to academic success.

4. Demonstrating Value

   • Institutions should clearly communicate how AI tools enhance learning outcomes, save time, and provide personalized support. Sharing student success stories and measurable outcomes can reinforce the benefits.

Implications for Higher Education

Our findings at LAPU align with broader trends in AI adoption in higher education. For AI tools to succeed, they must not only be available but also perceived as valuable, accessible, and easy to use. This requires a shift in how institutions approach technology integration, emphasizing continuous engagement, feedback, and support.

Moreover, as AI continues to play a growing role in education, its adoption offers an opportunity to address equity gaps by providing personalized support to diverse learners. However, achieving this potential will depend on addressing the barriers highlighted in this study.

Conclusion

The underutilization of Spark at LAPU is not an indictment of AI’s potential but rather a call to action. By understanding and addressing the barriers to adoption, educators and institutions can create an environment where AI tools are not only available but indispensable.

Future research should explore the long-term impact of integrating AI into learning environments and investigate how faculty engagement with AI influences student adoption. Through such efforts, we can ensure that AI serves as a transformative force in higher education, unlocking new opportunities for teaching, learning, and student success.