By Daniel Watkiss, Customer Empowerment Lead, AspiraCloud
Students are already using AI to support their learning. The real opportunity for schools is to make sure they are using tools that encourage understanding, confidence and independent thinking, not shortcuts.
I was reminded of this recently while exploring Microsoft Study and Learn with a group of Year 10 students from Moulsham High School, alongside Mark Blenkin. Within minutes, the students were using it to support their upcoming exams. There was a genuine buzz in the room as they began to see how AI could help them revise more effectively.
From using a tool to reimagining revision
What stood out most was how quickly the conversation shifted. This was not simply about trying a new piece of technology; it became a discussion about how revision itself could become more adaptive, interactive and purposeful.
Study and Learn has the potential to act as an AI revision buddy. Rather than providing one long answer, it can support students through guided practice, retrieval activities and interactive tasks that help them identify what they know, and where they need to focus next.
Putting prompt coaching into practice
We explored how Prompt Coach could help create a specialised prompt for randomised practice, grounded in an attached subject content document. This approach matters because it keeps the activity aligned with the relevant exam board curriculum while giving students varied opportunities to test their knowledge.
Using that prompt, we asked Study and Learn to generate three different learning activities across random topics: a quiz, a set of flashcards and a matching activity. Crucially, these were interactive activities rather than a static block of revision text.
Why randomised practice matters
The impact was immediate. Students could see which areas they felt confident in and, more importantly, where the gaps were. Because the prompt asked for randomised content, no two attempts looked the same.
That small shift made the experience feel much closer to exam-style thinking. Instead of working through a fixed revision guide in a predictable order, students were prompted to retrieve, apply and revisit knowledge across the subject.
What this means for schools
For schools, trusts and colleges, tools like Study and Learn represent an important next step in responsible AI adoption. The value is not simply in giving students access to AI, but in helping them use it in ways that strengthen learning rather than bypass it.
That is where the right training, guidance and implementation strategy become essential. Staff and students need to understand how to prompt effectively, how to use AI outputs critically and how to keep learning at the centre of the experience.
Ready to explore Study and Learn?
At AspiraCloud, we help education organisations adopt Microsoft 365 tools in ways that are practical, secure and focused on real classroom impact. If you are exploring how Microsoft 365 Copilot and Study and Learn could support your students, we can help you plan the next step with confidence.
And judging by the Year 10 reaction, students are more than ready for it.