#  AI as Study Buddy for Policy Analysis with Fernando Reimers 

 



   ![Fernando Reimers](/sites/g/files/omnuum3921/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2025-07/fernando-reimers-2025-square.jpg?itok=CZelfSSH) 

 

**The Challenge:** Students in Reimers' comparative education policy course often came to class unprepared to deeply engage with complex readings, struggling to connect theoretical frameworks to real-world education problems and formulate meaningful questions for discussion.

**The AI Solution:** Reimers repositioned AI as a "study buddy" that helps students actively process course materials before class. Students use structured prompts to engage AI as a Socratic tutor, asking probing questions like "Why is this problem important?" when analyzing policy issues. They also prompt AI to guide them through multi-step processes—such as designing program evaluations—and then compare AI-generated implications from readings with their own interpretations of education challenges.

**What Made It Work:** Rather than using AI for content generation, students use it as an interactive thinking partner that pushes them to articulate and test their understanding. This conversational approach helps students develop more sophisticated questions that enhance classroom discussions and office hour conversations.

**Key Takeaway:** AI can function as an always-available Socratic dialogue partner, helping students wrestle with complex material and develop critical thinking skills before they arrive in class—transforming preparation from passive reading to active intellectual engagement.

**Resources:**

- [Reimers' AI-Augmented Tasks Guide ](https://docs.google.com/document/d/15oyOLJmOs1ayb_KYrfoVamAqa4Te2IhMJQBmlXegzf8/edit?usp=sharing)



 

 

 See also:- [ Teaching and Learning with Generative AI ](/categories/teaching-and-learning-generative-ai)
- [ AI in the HGSE Classroom ](/categories/ai-hgse-classroom)