Tutor voices: ethical tutoring in the age of AI

We live in interesting times. A student can now get grades, accolades and a place at university,

without necessarily developing the skills, habits or judgement to work independently. This is the

space where ethical tutoring matters the most.

As an organisation committed to supporting disadvantaged students move towards their academic and career goals, Tutorfair Foundation’s strength is its large community of volunteer tutors, each with deep expertise in their subject. We reached out to them for their views.

What exactly is ethical tutoring?

“I think ethical tutoring means taking a professional approach that focuses on integrity, fairness, honesty, and respect for the student’s dignity. It also involves adhering to safeguarding guidelines, maintaining professional boundaries, as well as fostering mutual understanding and respect.”

“To not just simply solve the given problems; to expand the topic and relate it to other areas so that the student would be better prepared when faced with a different problem.”

But how do the standards of academic integrity and authentic learning that tutors commit to and expect from their students stack up against the growing influence of AI?

Do students lean on AI and is that a good thing?

Yes, of course, some students use AI tools. But perspectives diverged on whether this was good or bad. While most of our tutors saw AI as somewhat negative in the context of learning, a few cited benefits while asking whether AI was being used to scaffold learning or simply as an easy shortcut.

“There is a positive in that, with the right nudge, AI can reveal the missing link in their chain of reasoning and assist the pupil in getting to the right answer themselves.” “The negative, however, is when a pupil becomes reliant on AI to make breakthroughs (or to just

answer questions outright).”

A more nuanced view balances technology’s potential with the need for safeguards.

“Under supervision and with an understanding of how to use AI responsibly, students can benefit from AI enormously by having access to personalised explanations and a much broader range of analogies and pace than they may otherwise have in the classroom. However, I worry that age restrictions to content cannot be effectively managed and it is likely that children do not know or fully understand what information they are giving away, directly or indirectly about themselves. AI also may encourage students to take shortcuts and not engage with learning as effectively.

How do our tutors address questions around AI in their sessions?

Many say that the question doesn’t arise. Tutoring focuses on explaining concepts and strengthening skills. Others call it out bluntly.

“I frame my answer in utilitarian terms. If you keep using AI and become reliant on it, are you actually becoming the smartest possible version of yourself? If you continue to rely on it, will you ever know what percentage of your work is you and what percentage is the AI? Not all uses of AI are unethical or “bad” (they can be really good as turbocharged search engines for research purposes and as a helper when editing your original writing), but I do discourage their use, especially with regard to maths.”

Is AI blurring the lines of what is ethical?

Does allowing AI into learning take us down a rabbit hole where the boundary of what is ‘acceptable’ gets pushed back?

Out tutors unequivocally agreed that ethical tutoring is at the heart of what they do. To help students navigate the academic landscape is to help them build critical thinking.

One tutor in particular said that they would guide a student to come to them for support instead of turning to AI for quick solutions, illuminating that a tutor’s role is less about being an answer-provider and more about being a judgement-coach who helps students learn not just what to think, but how and why.

What do you think? Get in touch at foundation@tutorfair.org and let us know. We’d love to hear from you.