MSUPE Summarises Results of AI Literacy Course Among Students and Faculty

Moscow State University of Psychology and Education (MSUPE) participated in the All-Russian project of HSE University and Yandex Education on developing artificial intelligence skills. Students and faculty mastered the skills of applying artificial intelligence (AI) in their studies and work and learned how to create AI agents for various tasks.

The project involved 195 students and 55 faculty members and research supervisors from programs including Psychology, Pedagogy and Psychology of Deviant Behaviour, Clinical Psychology, Restorative Approach and Mediation Technologies in Education and Social Risk Prevention, Service Psychology, Youth Work Organisation, and Psychological Assistance in the Social Sphere Using Distance Technologies.

Following the training, the share of participants who confidently possess safe AI work skills increased from 25% to 53%. The average self-assessment of tool proficiency rose from 5.9 to 7.4 out of 10 – based on participant surveys conducted before and after the course. The greatest progress was recorded in presentation preparation, data visualisation, and prompt engineering.

The training is structured at two levels. The basic course focuses on working with sources, structuring materials, and integrating AI tools into academic and research processes. The advanced course covers creating custom AI agents for professional tasks and automating routine operations.

Overall, participants from this and other universities noted that 61% already use AI in their studies, while 64% had previously taken other AI-related courses. Thus, the program's goal is not simply to introduce the technology but to develop skills in using AI for academic tasks: formulating queries, fact-checking, and working with sources. The main risk identified by participants in working with AI is the unreliability and distortion of information – which is why critical data verification remains central to the training.

According to MSUPE Rector Arkady Margolis, the task of modern education is to introduce students to current areas of knowledge and help them develop skills for independent learning and relearning, as well as mastery of new tools that will help them become confident professionals and realise their potential.

Results from the previous academic year (2024/25) demonstrate the approach's consistency: participants from 11 universities rated their AI proficiency at an average of 8 out of 10, compared to 6 at the start. This year, the project has been scaled up twofold – from 11 to 22 universities.

Yandex has also launched a free online course on AI application for teachers and students on the Yandex Practicum platform. The course materials are based on the methodology tested within the project.