UVic’s Learning and Teaching Innovation (LTI) is piloting Studiosity in a few courses this Fall. Studiosity is an AI-supported academic feedback tool designed to complement student learning. In addition to UVic, it is being piloted at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Yorkville University, and Vancouver Island University.
Studiosity Pilot Program at UVic © 2025 by Learning and Teaching Innovation is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
About Studiosity
The tool focuses on formative, real-time feedback rather than generating or correcting work. This supports students to develop their academic writing and critical-thinking skills. Instructors at other institutions that use or have piloted Studiosity have found that it enhances the feedback loop in learning.
Here at UVic, Studiosity will be piloted to serve as a complementary tool to UVic’s in-person writing support (through the Academic Skills Centre) and other UVic student-support resources.
Through a call for interest issued by LTI, three courses volunteered to participate in the pilot for the Fall 2025 term (COM 200, HINF 230 and ED-D101). Instructors volunteered to participate in order to explore how the tool can support student learning and development. Participation is voluntary and restricted to a limited number of undergraduate students. The pilot will include a review by instructors and students to assess interest in continued use.
A Privacy Impact Assessment was submitted and approved by the UVic Privacy Office. It was also reviewed and approved by UVic’s Information Security Office.
Only students enrolled in the pilot courses will be able to access Studiosity through Brightspace. The platform does not mine, harvest, or sell student data, and students retain full ownership of their work. Importantly, Studiosity does not use student submissions to train its AI systems, ensuring that student work remains private and secure.
We have developed some Frequently Asked Qeustions below, which will be updated as required. Please contact us at ltsioffice@uvic.ca for any further questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is UVic piloting Studiosity?
UVic is piloting Studiosity as part of an evidence-based approach to learning more about how students engage with AI tutor supports and how they may assist faculty in better supporting students. By gathering feedback from both students and faculty, the pilot will help us understand how a tool like Studiosity may provide more timely and equitable support to students while complementing our existing services at UVic.
What is UVic’s approach to artificial intelligence tools?
UVic recognizes that artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the landscape of post-secondary education. Our approach is to engage thoughtfully with these technologies and not to have a general ban on the use of GenAI tools. We are actively supporting our academic community to ethically and appropriately use these tools in learning and teaching. You may read the full GenAI position statement here.
UVic supports GenAI learning and teaching through a Community of Practice and workshops for faculty, as well as learning resources for students to understand the role of AI in education and how such tools can support and not replace critical thinking, creativity and authentic learning.
How is Studiosity different from other GenAI writing tools (e.g., Grammarly, ChatGPT, Turnitin)?
Studiosity is more than just a GenAI tool as it is designed specifically for post-secondary education. Writing feedback and support is generated through AI; however, it will not generate or re-write student text. There is no added risk for plagiarism as Studiosity is not an editing tool.
How does Studiosity fit with existing academic supports?
Studiosity is intended to complement – not replace – academic supports that are already available to students at UVic. The feedback students receive from their faculty/instructors, TAs and the Academic Skills Centre staff remain central to their learning. Studiosity adds another layer of support by offering timely, private feedback outside of appointment hours, making it easier for students to receive timely feedback.
Does Studiosity replace human feedback from teaching assistants, faculty and academic support staff?
Not at all. Human feedback is essential to student academic success, and Studiosity works as a complementary service that is in addition to the supports provided by teaching assistants, faculty and academic support staff in providing feedback to students.
UVic has allocated an additonal $450,000 in one-time funding to support faculties to hire TAs for the 2025/26 Winter Session. This one-time funding is intended to provide supports for students and workload relief for instructors while simultaneously providing instructors with time and energy to revise their course materials and develop assessments for future years, working with LTI and engaging their workshops and curriculum specialists as needed.
Is there an ethical risk to using Studiosity?
As with any new technology, it is important to carefully consider ethical implications. To support this, a thorough Privacy Impact Assessment was done, which involved full vetting by the UVic Privacy Office. Students will be fully informed that their data is not being used to train Studiosity’s AI tool and that their work will not be harvested, mined or sold.
In terms of academic integrity, Studiosity is designed to provide constructive feedback rather than generating responses or rewriting students’ work. Read more about the Studiosity Academic Integrity Policy for further details.
Does Studiosity harvest student data?
No, Studiosity uses a ‘closed system’, which means students’ work remains their own. It does not mine, harvest or sell student data and ensures students keep full ownership of their work. It does not use student submissions to train its AI systems.
What does the Studiosity pilot cost?
The pilot is free, and will support three courses (COM 200, HINF 230 and ED-D101) for the Fall 2025 term. This will also reduce financial barriers for students who are already accessing paid generative AI tools to support their academic work.
Can students use Studiosity in other courses?
No. Only students enrolled in the pilot courses (COM 200, HINF 230 and ED-D101) in Fall 2025 will have access to Studiosity through Brightspace for those specific courses.
How will UVic evaluate the pilot?
The pilot will be evaluated through feedback from participating faculty and students, as well as staff from LTI. Faculty teaching in the participating courses will be asked to share their experiences and observations, and students in those courses will be invited to complete a survey about their use and experiences with Studiosity. Informal feedback will also be considered. This combined input will help UVic understand the impact of the tool on learning and teaching and will help determine next steps in how Studiosity may be used in the future.
