Perplexity - AI Teaching Tool
Perplexity is an AI-powered research assistant designed to help users explore complex topics with clarity, speed, and academic rigor. For faculty and students in higher education, it offers a streamlined way to access accurate, well-sourced information from across the web and scholarly databases. Unlike standard search engines, Perplexity presents direct answers with source citations, making it particularly valuable for academic work.
Faculty can use Perplexity to gather teaching material, discover new scholarly perspectives, and develop discussion prompts informed by the latest research. Its “Copilot” mode allows educators to engage in deep, back-and-forth research sessions, uncovering nuances and sources they might have otherwise missed. For students, Perplexity can support literature reviews, clarify difficult concepts, and generate outlines or citations — all while modeling responsible use of generative AI tools in academic contexts.
By encouraging critical engagement with sources and promoting efficient discovery, Perplexity helps higher ed institutions prepare learners for a future shaped by intelligent information systems.
How To Use It
Curate Updated Course Content
Quickly gather the latest research, news, or scholarly perspectives on a topic to enrich lecture materials and course readings.Design Research-Informed Assignments
Use Perplexity to identify trending academic debates or emerging fields, helping create relevant and engaging assignments.Model Research and Inquiry
Demonstrate live how to explore a research question using Perplexity, showing students how to evaluate sources and build academic arguments.Generate Class Discussion Topics
Input key course themes to get thought-provoking questions, perspectives, or case studies you can use to fuel in-class or online discussion.Enhance Lecture Prep Efficiency
Save time when preparing lectures by using Perplexity’s summaries and citations to pull together accurate, organized content fast.Support Student Research Projects
Recommend Perplexity as a tool for students working on papers or presentations, especially to help them get started or refine their focus.Find Diverse Viewpoints on Controversial Issues
Use Perplexity to surface balanced perspectives and cross-disciplinary insights that foster critical thinking and academic debate.Simplify Complex Concepts
Ask Perplexity to explain advanced theories or concepts in plain language — great for scaffolding learning for students at different levels.Identify Related Academic Resources
Leverage Perplexity’s source-citation feature to find academic articles, preprints, or research papers related to your teaching topics.Develop Teaching Aids or Study Guides
Quickly draft outlines, summaries, or quiz questions to supplement classroom instruction or online courses.
Resources and Articles
Perplexity AI for Educators
This article from Creighton University explains how educators can use Perplexity AI to answer questions, summarize articles, and support research with reliable citations.Bringing Perplexity to Education and Not-for-Profits
A post from Perplexity’s official blog detailing their new initiative to support educational access to their Enterprise Pro version for students and nonprofits.Texas A&M University Partners with Perplexity AI
An article announcing Texas A&M’s partnership with Perplexity AI to bring AI tools into research and classroom applications across campus.Perplexity AI and EFL Student Writing in Higher Ed
A research study exploring how Perplexity AI affects the writing efficiency of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students in higher education.How to Use Perplexity AI for Teaching: Feature Deep Dive
A blog post offering practical strategies for educators to implement Perplexity AI in the classroom, especially for flipped learning and sourcing accurate instructional content.
