Introduction
Indian River State College serves a diverse student body, many of whom are first-generation college attendees, ESL students, and nontraditional learners balancing academics with jobs or family obligations. To better support these students, Indian River launched a Grammarly pilot in Fall 2024 to enhance writing skills, increase course engagement, and foster career readiness through AI literacy.
Institutional vision:
“At Indian River State College, we believe that preparing our students for tomorrow means embracing the technologies of today. This partnership with Grammarly represents our commitment to transforming education by equipping our students with the communication skills and AI literacy that will define the future workforce.”
— Dr. Timothy E. Moore, President
The challenge: Supporting diverse student needs
Historically, higher education institutions have relied primarily on disseminating expert knowledge via lecture. As access to post-secondary education has grown and instructional approaches have shifted from passive to active learning, students increasingly need more personalized attention and support. At Indian River, this evolution prompted new considerations about how best to provide comprehensive, personalized writing support to meet the diverse needs of their student body.
- Key challenges:
- 67% course completion rate in foundational English courses (Fall 2023)
- Diverse student population (first-generation, ESL, nontraditional)
- Limited capacity to deliver personalized writing support at scale
Faculty insight:
“For many of my students—first-generation, ESL, single mothers, and those living at or below the poverty line—having access to Grammarly has been a game changer. These are students who are often working jobs and doing assignments late at night. Instant feedback on their writing helps them in real time, something they wouldn’t otherwise have access to. It levels the playing field. I genuinely see it as a bridge out of poverty—giving them the tools and confidence they need to succeed.”
— Dr. Camila Alvarez, Professor, English Department
Grammarly pilot implementation: A scalable solution
To address these challenges directly, Indian River implemented a semester-long pilot of Grammarly during Fall 2024. Nearly all invited participants (students and faculty) activated Grammarly, and many teaching faculty integrated it into their classroom instruction via Canvas LMS.
Personalized access and support
Grammarly provided personalized access to real-time, quality writing support. This was particularly impactful for nontraditional learners and student populations facing unique or significant challenges.
- Personalized outcomes included:
- Instant, accessible feedback available 24/7
- Significant benefit to working students, first-generation learners, and ESL students
- Reduced barriers to academic success due to immediate, personalized writing feedback
Faculty insights on Grammarly’s value :
“AI has a place in the classroom because it is in place in the workforce. When I told my students we had access to Grammarly for Education, their eyes lit up. This has leveled the playing field for them. I’ve taught them how to brainstorm with AI and cite their usage. I get better work turned in.”
— Mara Kallich, Professor, English Department
Faculty efficiency and institutional impact
Beyond student outcomes, Grammarly has positively impacted faculty workloads. Improved writing quality meant less time spent addressing basic errors and more time for deeper instructional engagement.
- Faculty efficiency improvements:
- Reduced grading and revision workload (~30 minutes/day saved)
- Enhanced ability to focus on high-level student feedback and mentorship
Administrative leadership feedback:
“Grammarly is clearly a company that understands the higher education sector—its values, needs, and processes. Having access to Grammarly’s toolset provides an entry point into artificial intelligence in a way that is both consistent with higher education needs and supportive of the inevitable transformation that AI is bound to require. I’ve been impressed with the usability of the platform as well as the training and support the Grammarly team provides (through and after adoption). Perhaps most importantly, Grammarly understands the need for data security and provides a FERPA-compliant option for helping people transition to the world of AI.”
— Bruce Fraser, Director of the Institute for Academic Excellence
Measurable academic improvements
The pilot demonstrated clear, quantifiable academic improvements. Grammarly usage correlated strongly with higher GPAs, greater student engagement, and significant improvements in writing skills.
Ensuring authentic learning
While improved outcomes alone do not confirm authentic learning, Indian River proactively addressed faculty concerns by gathering direct student feedback and employing traditional assessments of core writing skills. This approach led to a working hypothesis that Grammarly’s capacity to deliver real-time, actionable feedback significantly increased meaningful student engagement, resulting in improved grades and higher course completion rates. By combining qualitative student insights with traditional performance metrics, Indian River ensured that Grammarly-enhanced outcomes genuinely reflected deeper student learning.
GPA
Grammarly adopters significantly outperformed their peers in GPA, with a measurable impact nearly equating to a full letter-grade improvement:
- Non-adopters: Average GPA of 2.17 (C+)
- Adopters: Average GPA of 2.93 (B)
- Result: +0.77 GPA points improvement for Grammarly users
Faculty perspective:
“My students are learning; the repetition from Grammarly telling them what mistakes to address has taught them to write and structure arguments more effectively.”
— Dr. Camila Alvarez, Professor, English Department
Course completion and student engagement
Students using Grammarly showed substantially higher course completion rates and increased engagement, especially in assignment submission:
Faculty observations:
- More consistent assignment submissions
- Increased interaction with faculty, reduced anxiety around feedback
“This has been really beneficial for my students. I’ve seen an increase in participation, assignment quality, and turnout of midterm assignments. This is such an essential tool for writing.”
— Dr. Suchi Banerjee, Professor of English
Rubric-based writing skill improvements
Rubric evaluations showed significant improvements in foundational grammar and mechanics:
Looking ahead: From pilot to broader adoption
Encouraged by the pilot’s success, Indian River has since expanded Grammarly access institution-wide, embedding it within broader AI literacy initiatives. Looking forward, they aim to leverage Grammarly’s Authorship features, enhancing transparency and authenticity in student work while promoting a campus-wide culture of responsible AI use. By placing actionable insights directly in students’ hands through student-facing reports with Authorship, Indian River reinforces student ownership over their educational experiences and fosters authentic, responsible engagement with AI learning tools
Future Strategic Directions
Building on these successful foundations, Indian River’s next steps in Grammarly’s adoption include:
- Expanding Grammarly deployment across diverse academic disciplines and courses.
- Integrating Grammarly Authorship features broadly, supporting both instructors and students.
- Continuing analysis and tracking of Grammarly’s impact on student learning, outcomes, and institutional effectiveness.
Conclusion
The Grammarly pilot at Indian River State College has demonstrated measurable improvements in student writing proficiency, engagement, and individualized access to academic support. Their outcomes offer a compelling case for other institutions aiming to enhance student writing outcomes, personalization, and AI literacy.
