AI Study Tool with Grounded Content and Study Habits

Last registered on October 02, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
AI Study Tool with Grounded Content and Study Habits
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0019493
Initial registration date
September 01, 2026

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
September 09, 2026, 3:40 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated
October 02, 2026, 2:01 PM EDT

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

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Primary Investigator

Name
Stephanie El Khoury
Affiliation
Arizona State University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Esteban Aucejo
PI Affiliation
Arizona State University
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PI Name
Agustina Affonso Peyre
PI Affiliation
Universidad ORT Uruguay
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PI Name
Tomas Larroucau
PI Affiliation
Arizona State University
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PI Name
Martin Carbajal Vega
PI Affiliation
Arizona State University
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-09-15
End date
2026-12-09
Keywords
Education
Additional Keywords
AI in education, study habits, randomized controlled trial, college students, educational technology, personalized feedback, retrieval practice, academic performance
JEL code(s)
i21, i23, c93, d83, o33
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study evaluates whether access to a Grounded Large Language Model (LLM) Study Platform, an AI-powered study tool available to ASU students, helps undergraduate students build more effective study habits and improve academic performance, and whether the tool is more effective when paired with personalized guidance about evidence-based study practices. The study is a three-arm randomized controlled trial among undergraduate students enrolled in targeted intermediate economics and business courses at Arizona State University. Consenting students complete a baseline survey after the first course exam and are randomly assigned to: (1) a Control group receiving the standard course experience and neutral study-related contact; (2) a Grounded Large Language Model (LLM) Study Platform-only group receiving access-oriented guidance, including an introductory video and tutorials about using the AI study tool as an AI study partner; or (3) a Grounded Large Language Model (LLM) Study Platform plus personalized study guidance group receiving the same AI study tool introduction plus personalized feedback on their own study habits and guidance on using the AI study tool to support active learning practices such as self-testing, practice question generation, flashcards, and spaced practice. Outcomes combine survey measures of study beliefs, study effort, study time allocation, AI tool adoption, AI study tool feature use and perceptions, with administrative outcomes including course grades, exam or course scores, Canvas activity, and student academic records. The central hypothesis is that AI study tools can improve learning partly by lowering the effort cost of high-return study practices such as retrieval practice and question generation.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Affonso Peyre, Agustina et al. 2026. "AI Study Tool with Grounded Content and Study Habits." AEA RCT Registry. October 02. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.19493-1.3
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Three arms: (1) Control: standard course experience, neutral ASU-related video/activity, and balanced Canvas/email contact. (2) Grounded Large Language Model (LLM) Study Platform-only: introductory video and tutorials explaining how to create workspaces, add course materials, ask questions, check citations, and use features such as summaries, study guides, flashcards, quizzes, mind maps, reports, and audio/video overviews, while remaining neutral about study strategy. (3) Grounded Large Language Model (LLM) Study Platform plus personalized study guidance: the same AI study tool access/onboarding plus personalized feedback about the student's study habits, comparison with peers, evidence-based guidance encouraging retrieval practice over passive rereading, and concrete advice on using the AI study tool for self-testing, practice questions, quizzes, and flashcards. Students are not informed of their group assignment in order to preserve study integrity and reduce behavior that could undo randomization or contaminate the comparison across arms.
Intervention Start Date
2026-10-15
Intervention End Date
2026-12-09

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Academic performance in the target course, measured after the intervention through final course grades and/or course scores, including exam or final exam performance where available. Study behavior outcomes measured at endline, especially allocation of study time between passive strategies such as rereading and active strategies such as self-testing, practice questions, flashcards, and retrieval practice, with and without AI tools.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
The core estimands compare each treatment arm to control and compare Grounded Large Language Model (LLM) Study Platform plus personalized guidance to Grounded Large Language Model (LLM) Study Platform-only. Academic performance outcomes will be linked from instructor or administrative course records for consenting students. Study behavior outcomes will be measured in the endline survey and supplemented by usage logs where available and consented.

We will report intent-to-treat estimates. Because untreated classmates may adopt the Grounded Large Language Model (LLM) Study Platform, we will also report estimates that use the usage data collected for all consented students in all arms to account for control-group adoption. These are (i) the treatment–control difference in adoption, (ii) instrumental-variable estimates of the effect of tool use for the tool-only arm relative to control, with random assignment as the instrument

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Beliefs about the effectiveness of study strategies; perceived costs and time needed to implement self-quizzing; expected exam performance; familiarity with and confidence using AI tools; Grounded Large Language Model (LLM) Study Platform adoption; number of weeks used; feature use including uploaded sources, quizzes, study guides, summaries, audio overviews, questions, and flashcards; perceived usefulness or harmfulness; trust in AI-generated outputs; intent to continue using AI-assisted study tools; spillovers to other courses; Canvas activity; demographic and academic covariates including prior academic preparation. In addition to this, the effectiveness gap between rereading and retrieval practices.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
Secondary outcomes come from the baseline and endline surveys, Grounded Large Language Model (LLM) Study Platform usage data when available, Canvas activity, and ASU administrative records. These outcomes are intended to measure mechanisms: whether the Grounded Large Language Model (LLM) Study Platform changes the cost of active studying, whether personalized guidance changes how students use the tool, and whether intensity or feature choice is associated with outcomes.

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Three-arm individual-level randomized controlled trial among consenting undergraduate students in targeted ASU economics and business courses.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Stratified randomization implemented in Qualtrics. Stratification uses three binary baseline variables: (1) effectiveness gap of retrieval practice relative to rereading, coded above vs. below 0, based on the measure developed in the related study The Role of Information Frictions in Study Habit Choice and Academic Performance; (2) percentage of study hours spent rereading, coded above vs. below 40%, the median rereading share from the pilot study; and (3) willingness to engage with AI to improve study habits, coded above vs. below 5 on a 0-10 scale. Qualtrics will implement random assignment and deliver the video treatment.
Randomization Unit
Individual student.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
N/A
Sample size: planned number of observations
2000 students
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Approximately one-third of consenting students per arm: about 667 control, 667 Grounded AI study tool, and 667 Grounded AI study tool plus personalized guidance, for a planned total of about 2,000.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
ERA (Enterprise Research Administration) system
IRB Approval Date
2026-08-31
IRB Approval Number
STUDY00024625
Analysis Plan