Helping law students to study smarter with AI

According to the Higher Education Policy Institute, students in employment work an average of 14 hours per week. Time to study must therefore be spent efficiently, and so it’s critical that students’ learning paths are personalized to their needs so that they can more easily achieve their desired learning goals.   

This need was in mind last year when we launched a brand-new feature on Law Trove—our established and much-loved online platform which hosts our legal textbooks—the AI Study Assistant.

Built with students in mind 

The tool brings together the power of AI with the authority of Law Trove’s trusted, peer-reviewed legal content to help students study more effectively and with greater confidence. Built as an enhancement to the existing Law Trove search experience, it enables students to generate accurate summaries, authoritative answers, and targeted quizzes that support understanding, revision, and exam preparation.  

Shaped through user testing with lecturers and students, the tool is designed around real teaching and learning needs while upholding Law Trove’s core commitment to reliable, high-quality legal education. As Law Trove was developed to give students access to the breadth of publishing that has made OUP the UK’s number one provider of legal educational material, it was only natural that we evolved the platform to reflect the rising use of AI in higher education to support our changing customer needs.

Everything entered into the AI Study Assistant is anonymous, and because responses are only drawn from our content, we can ensure students are only accessing reliable source material. Students can input a query, and the assistant will rapidly provide an answer of up to 350 words, citing content sources within Law Trove that they can click through to. They can also ask the assistant to formulate a quiz, and it will generate questions on a specific topic to reinforce their understanding, thus aiding study and exam preparation.  

Supporting critical thinking around AI 

Moreover, earlier this year we supported the launch with the inclusion of an AI literacy module on Law Trove. The module is available for all subscribers and covers generative AI fundamentals, academic integrity, critical thinking, and effective prompting. The aim is to encourage students to apply critical thinking to generative AI content and usage within their course, throughout their education, and into their future careers. 

What students say 

The response from users has been incredibly positive, with students stating: 

• “The AI Assistant has been a great help and has made Law Trove incredibly more seamless and useful.” 

• “Law Trove has been a valuable resource to have during my studies especially with the new AI Assistant.” 

Lucy Read

Product Manager for Trove

“We know that students are using AI as a study tool. The AI Study Assistant generates responses grounded only in Oxford University Press’s authoritative and trusted textbooks, meaning students now have an appropriate way to develop their AI skills in a suitable environment, supported by our AI literacy module. I’m excited that we’ve been able to successfully bring this functionality to Law Trove users.” 

Learn more about the AI Study Assistant on Law Trove, helping students gain greater confidence in their legal studies here.