Questrom field experiment finds a course-grounded AI tutor improved Online MBA learning

Questrom researchers Shihao Yang, Marshall Van Alstyne, and Chrysanthos Dellarocas reported a preregistered randomized field experiment testing an AI tutor in BU's Online MBA. Over five weeks in summer 2026, 86 students in a corporate-finance module were split between a GPT-5.4 tutor grounded in course materials and a holdout group that kept free access to consumer AI. Tutored students gained 6.63 points more than matched peers, mostly in written reasoning. Voice and text sessions produced equivalent learning, though voice cost 2.8 times as much. The results give BU programs direct evidence for designing course-specific AI tutors.