The National AI Institute for Adult Learning & Online Education is working with the Technical College System of Georgia to bring next-generation AI-programs to adult learners. We are putting powerful educational tools into the hands of our students and faculty, and together we refine and improve on these tools every day.
AI-ALOE began to roll out its technologies in TCSG classes in the spring of 2022, and the list of participating schools and courses has grown with each passing semester. AI-ALOE technology usage ranges from general education classes to environmental science to nursing, with multiple technologies now available to any TCSG instructor through Blackboard!
AI-ALOE equips provides participating TCSG classes with one of its advanced technologies to assist in the learning process. After the semester, AI-ALOE gathers feedback and data from students and faculty to improve its programs and learn more about how artificial intelligence operates, study the intersection between AI and learners, and improve the technologies. Steps are taken to ensure confidentiality of all student information, and only designated researchers have access to the data. TCSG does not share data of students under the age of 18. A short description of each AI-ALOE technology deployed at TCSG is included below.
Apprentice: The Apprentice tutor focuses on improving mathematical learning, from general education all the way to nursing and pharmacology! The tutor observes students’ online work and uses knowledge tracing to identify the gaps in individuals’ understanding. Apprentice uses this information to provide students with personalized feedback to fill in the gaps. The Apprentice tutor is remarkably flexible and totally customizable by the professor running the course. Apprentice can be deployed in Algebra classes and courses that involve medical measurements. Apprentice was developed by a team at Georgia Tech consisting of Chris MacLellan, Adit Gupta, Glen Smith, Jenn Reddig, and Momin Siddiqui. Apprentice is available through Blackboard to any TCSG professor. A tutorial for using Apprentice can be found here.
SMART: The Student Mental Model Analyzer for Research and Training (SMART) is a web-based system designed to provide formative assessment and feedback to support students’ concept learning, specifically around writing. SMART doesn’t just point out specific errors, it analyzes broader trends in student behavior and builds an expert-knowledge structure as it assists student in writing and reading comprehension. SMART can be deployed in classes that feature writing. SMART was developed by a team at Georgia State University consisting of Min Kyu Kim, Jinho Kim, and Yoojin Bae. SMART is available through Blackboard to any TCSG professor.
Jill Watson: Jill Watson is an AI-assisted chatbot designed to assist students and teachers by answering commonly asked questions in the classroom. Students ask Jill Watson questions, and Jill Watson pulls from teacher-approved sources of data (such as syllabi and textbooks) to quickly answer queries without going beyond the parameters set up by the professor. Jill Watson can be deployed in classes regardless of subject. Jill Watson was developed by a team at Georgia Tech consisting of Ashok Goel. Sandeep Kakar, and Qiaosi Wang. If professors are interested in deploying Jill Watson in their classroom, they should reach out to Jacob Dallas-Main at jdallas-main@tcsg.edu.
iTELL: Intelligent Texts for Enhanced Language Learning (iTELL) converts text (such as textbooks, worksheets, articles, etc.) into interactive, intelligent text within a web-app. iTELL provides opportunities for students to write summaries about text and videos to demonstrate their understanding productively. The summaries are scored automatically by large language models (LLMs) specifically trained to generate scores which provide feedback to students. iTELL also uses AI to generate short questions for sections of the text and videos to assess comprehension. iTELL will also include an AI assistant guide on the side that can assist students with questions they have about the text and videos or help them make connections between the text and their experiences. iTELL can be deployed in any class that features assigned reading. iTELL was developed by a team at Vanderbilt University consisting of Scott Crossley, Joon Suh Choi, Langdon Holmes, Wesley Morris, and Qiushi Yan. If professors are interested in deploying Jill Watson in their classroom, they should reach out to Jacob Dallas-Main at jdallas-main@tcsg.edu.
SAMI: Social Agent Mediated Interactions (SAMI) is a virtual agent that uses AI and natural language processing to enhance social connectedness in online classes. Based on students’ introductory messages, it builds a knowledge base of the students, including their hobbies, interests, courses they have taken, etc. It then uses this knowledge to match students and connect them based on their shared identities and interests, helping them “break the ice” and build a “buddy” network to support and enhance social engagement in an online learning environment. SAMI can be deployed in classes regardless of subject. SAMI was developed by a team at Georgia Tech consisting of Sandeep Kakar, Rhea Basappa, Ida Camacho, Christopher Griswold, Alex Houk, Christopher Leung, Mustafa Tekman, Patrick Westervelt, Qiaosi Wang, and Ashok K. Goel. If professors are interested in deploying SAMI in their classroom, they should reach out to Jacob Dallas-Main at jdallas-main@tcsg.edu
VERA: The Virtual Ecological Research Assistant (or VERA) is designed to encourage independent student investigation into ecology. It provides the student with an open virtual laboratory and allows them to run wild with their theories and hypotheses. Students can design their own ecological models in VERA with variables of their own choice. VERA can be deployed in any environmental science or ecology related class. VERA was developed by a team at Georgia Tech consisting of Sungeun An, Ashok Goel, Jennifer Hammock, and Spencer Rugaber. If professors are interested in deploying VERA in their classroom, they should reach out to Jacob Dallas-Main at jdallas-main@tcsg.edu
Links:
Home page: Home – National AI Institute for Adult Learning and Online Education (aialoe.org)
Videos on various technologies: Technologies – National AI Institute for Adult Learning and Online Education (aialoe.org)
Posters on various projects: Projects – National AI Institute for Adult Learning and Online Education (aialoe.org)
The AI-ALOE Vision: AI-ALOE: AI for Reskilling, Upskilling, and Workforce Development
Contact: If you have any questions about TCSG’s role in the AI-ALOE institute, please contact Jacob Dallas-Main at jdallas-main@tcsg.edu