Supporting Students with Learning Differences
At Auburn University, the SKILL (Supporting, Knowledge, Independence, and Lifelong Learning) Program serves undergraduate students with learning differences and executive functioning challenges like ADHD, autism, and dyslexia.
These students are intelligent and motivated, but they often struggle with traditional learning structures. They need academic support that works around their unique challenges, not against them. Most importantly, they need help when they need it most—which is often at 2 a.m., long after office hours have ended.
The Challenge: When Traditional Support Falls Short
Auburn's SKILL Program Administrator, explains the core problem:
"Most of the students served by our program have diagnoses that include executive functioning deficits. Planning ahead is not something at which they excel... Office hours, drop in tutoring, or private tutors are not on demand in the middle of the night... But StudyFetch is."
In Spring 2025, Auburn introduced StudyFetch to 160 students in the SKILL program. Rather than another study tool, this became their academic lifeline, an AI-powered platform providing instant help, personalized tutoring, and study material creation available around the clock.
The Transformation: From Struggling to Thriving
Unprecedented Student Adoption
The results speak to genuine student satisfaction. 66% of students actively used StudyFetch throughout the semester, and even more impressive, 75% believe the platform should be retained as a permanent feature. "When we added StudyFetch as a perk of joining our academic program, I was expecting maybe half of our college students to take advantage of the subscription," Mandi B. notes.
Increased Confidence Through Constant Support
An important statistic to look at was the increased confidence that students reported from the StudyFetch platform. Out of all the students surveyed in Auburn's SKILL program, 86% reported increased confidence in their academics after using StudyFetch for a semester.
Auburn Students shared their experiences:
"The tutor and the AI-generated study guides helped me the most. The tutor provided clear explanations when I was stuck, and the study guides helped me review key concepts efficiently before exams." - Auburn SKILL student
Grade Increases in the SKILL Program
A hallmark on whether a learning method works in an academic is how the method impacts the grades of the students. We were able to conduct a survey of the students in the Auburn SKILL program and the results were surprising to say the least. Out of all the students in the SKILL program, 64% reported a large increase in their grades for the Spring 2025 semester. 27% reported a moderate improvement in grades for the Spring 2025 semester. Overall 91% of students reported an improvement in grades.
Final Thoughts and Administrator Feedback
In short, during the Spring 2025 semester, StudyFetch was able to help Auburn's SKILL students increase their academic confidence and academic performance. This translated to 70% of Auburn SKILL students requesting a StudyFetch subscription be packaged with the Auburn SKILL program. StudyFetch also values what administrators and professors think about AI in education and as a result we made a concerted effort to keep educators involved during the Spring 2025 pilot.
Auburn SKILL Director's Experience
"Most of the students served by our program have diagnoses that include executive functioning deficits. Planning ahead is not something at which they excel... Office hours, drop in tutoring, or private tutors are not on demand in the middle of the night... But StudyFetch is."
"In education, we talk a lot about meeting students where they are, but StudyFetch allows us to meet our students when they are."
"There's a phenomenon that we all experience... missing an early piece of learning makes you feel like you're always a step behind and struggling to catch up. Fetch's explanations of concepts helps our students fill those gaps in knowledge, empowering them to better reach their academic goals."
Study Impact
Auburn University's SKILL Program pilot demonstrates that AI-powered learning tools can be transformative for students with learning differences. When designed with accessibility and 24/7 availability in mind, these tools don't just supplement traditional support—they become essential lifelines that help students thrive academically.
StudyFetch Research Team