Artificial intelligence (AI) has created new possibilities in higher education. It can make learning more personalized and efficient, freeing students from tedious research and giving them an on-demand study partner. It can break down challenging concepts to help students understand course material, and it can assist educators in building curriculum and grading assignments.

At the same time, AI poses a dilemma for higher ed institutions: How can they help students tap into the power of AI while offering a reliable solution that upholds academic integrity and propels student success?

Recognizing the critical need for trusted AI solutions in higher education, the leaders at McGraw Hill created Sharpen Advantage. 

Here’s how this responsible, AI-enabled academic success and study app helps students overcome the pitfalls of open AI tools and empowers colleges and universities to embrace a verified, reliable solution for academic success.

Draw from a Trusted Library of Verified Resources with Ask Sharpen.

A recent research review showed that adaptive learning technologies, such as AI-powered tools, improved student performance in 59% of studies and engagement in 36% of studies.[1] However, while open AI solutions provide students with access to research support and an on-demand brainstorming partner, they don’t offer quality control to ensure accurate information and sources. The “Ask Sharpen” AI assistant resolves the issue of unverified content or hallucinations by providing answers and study activities that are explicitly linked to McGraw Hill’s trusted library. The knowledge source for Sharpen Advantage includes content from more than 150 courses (and growing), OpenStax open educational resource (OER) textbooks, as well as resources uploaded by your institution and students.

Sharpen Advantage supports academic integrity by guiding students toward reliable, verifiable resources based on McGraw Hill’s 130-year history in academia. If a result from an external source appears in the Sharpen app, it is clearly labeled as unverified, so students know exactly what information they can rely on. This provides a safe, trusted, and verified alternative to general AI platforms, encouraging critical thinking and ensuring every student learns from a credible foundation. Plus, the app is available on smartphones and on the computer, making it easy for students to get the answers they need, right when they need them, helping them build confidence and stay on track with their learning.

Sharpen's AI-powered “Improve” feature takes personalized learning a step further by continuously assessing student interactions within the app to predict exam preparedness and potential grades. As students engage with study activities, Improve identifies knowledge gaps at the learning objective level, giving both students and instructors early visibility into mastery and enabling proactive intervention before exams.

Provide Structured Learning Experiences with Creator.

Studies show that personalized, AI-driven learning experiences significantly improve student engagement and outcomes.[2]The Sharpen AI study app provides a structured learning journey tailored to each student’s needs to help them identify learning gaps and master course material on their own terms, rather than simply generating answers for them. Using the "Creator" feature, faculty and administrators can directly upload institution- and course-specific resources—such as syllabuses, slides, videos, and quizzes—right into the app. This feature gives students access to tailored, academic support that aligns with their curriculum, closing knowledge gaps and reinforcing key concepts.

In addition to course content, institutions can upload resources from campus support services, including instructional videos from tutoring centers, study strategy guides, or frequently asked questions from academic advising about add/drop deadlines, registration periods, and important academic dates. This puts essential information at students' fingertips, making it accessible anytime they need it.

Get Real-Time Insights with the Radar Dashboard.

U.S. college graduation rates are approximately 62.2%, and first-year retention rates hover around 68.2%.[3] Research shows that combining academic performance with behavioral metrics can improve early identification of at-risk students by approximately 15%, enabling timely interventions that directly impact retention.[4]

With the “Radar” dashboard in Sharpen Advantage, instructors and admins can track their students’ performance and offer targeted support as needed. It provides powerful, instant insights into how students are comprehending the material and where they may have knowledge gaps, enabling early intervention. When educators know where a student is struggling, they can provide tailored support before that student falls behind, directly and positively impacting retention and DFW rates. These vital analytics allow institutions to scale academic support and make data-driven decisions that benefit every student.

Personalize the Study Journey with the Playlist feature.

Recent research found that students who perceive their instructors as caring report higher levels of motivation, engagement, and academic achievement.[5] This suggests that personalized attention and institutional investment in student success have measurable impacts on outcomes.

The “Playlist” feature enables faculty and administrators to share custom resources within the Sharpen app, giving students instant access to institutional content from anywhere on their phones. Beyond bridging the gap between classroom instruction and individual study, the feature also demonstrates to students that faculty are invested in their ongoing success, which can have a profound impact on student outcomes.

We’ve recently launched a six-module AI playlist, designed to help students develop a foundational understanding of generative AI. This playlist includes quiz questions, videos, and summary cards covering essential topics from understanding what generative AI is and how it works, to crafting strong prompts, using it ethically for research and writing, maintaining their personal voice, as well as developing critical evaluation skills. This turnkey resource enables institutions to build AI literacy across their entire student population and can be sent via Playlist, ensuring students understand the potential and limitations of AI tools in academic settings.

Enable Academic Integrity and Success for All.

When students use generic open AI models to complete their coursework, they can miss opportunities to develop critical thinking, writing, and research skills. However, institutions can effectively improve students’ academic success when they provide trusted, standards-based AI tools that actively challenge learners.

Professor Holly Hapke implemented Sharpen in her Marketing 300 course at the University of Kentucky, and the results were compelling. Test performance improved by nearly 3%, and overall course grades rose from a B- to a B, proving that Sharpen has a positive impact on student performance and grades.

At Rowan College at Burlington County (RCBC), Dr. Daniel Summers gave his students access to premium content in the Sharpen app, which included concise chapter summaries, brief videos, practice quizzes, flashcards, guided solutions, and AI-powered personalized study recommendations. At the end of the term, Sharpen users achieved 47% higher average final exam scores, outperformed non‐users on class quizzes by 27% on average, and earned 21% higher overall course grades than non‐users. While many institutions are unsure whether students will utilize these types of tools, RCBC demonstrates the true value of Sharpen, showing that students can benefit from simplified, accessible, and targeted study support: 96% said they would recommend Sharpen, crediting the app for their success.

Sharpen Advantage bridges the gap between student needs and institutional goals. By providing a responsible way to integrate AI into higher education, Sharpen helps students succeed while enabling institutions to boost performance, improve DFW rates and retention, and scale academic support across their entire campus.

Discover the AI-enabled academic success and study app that institutions value, educators trust, and students love. Learn more and contact your representative about Sharpen Advantage today.

How Sharpen Advantage Differs from General LLMs

More than 86% of students are already using AI to support their learning.[6] Without institutional solutions like Sharpen Advantage, students will continue turning to general large language models (LLMs) that lack academic rigor and oversight. The comparison below highlights why providing students with responsible AI alternatives matters.

 

[1] Heliyon, 2024

[2] IGI Global, 2025

[3] National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 2024

[4] arXiv, 2025

[5] BMC Psychology, 2025

[6] Digital Education Council Global AI Student Survey: 3,839 Undergraduates and Graduates (August 2024)