University Uses AI Assistant to Answer Student Queries

A I • Aug 17,2024

Overwhelmed by repetitive student inquiries, the university implemented an AI assistant to automate responses, freeing up teaching assistants and improving response times.

Client:
Georgia Tech is a renowned research university and institute of technology located in Atlanta, Georgia. Renowned for its engineering, computer science, and other STEM programs, Georgia Tech is a top choice for aspiring technologists and consistently ranks among the nation’s top institutions in research investment.

Problem Statement:

● Overwhelming student numbers: Massive MOOC enrollments exceed human TA capacity.
● High workload for TAs: Heavy student participation on discussion forums creates a time-consuming burden.
● Repetitive student inquiries: Frequent, recurring questions consume valuable TA resources.
● Resource limitations: Hiring sufficient TAs for large-scale online learning is impractical and costly.

Results:

☑️ Reduced TA workload: Automated routine tasks.
☑️ Improved response time: Faster answers to student queries.
☑️ Expanded question coverage: Increased ability to address diverse student questions.
☑️ High accuracy: Provided reliable information to students.
☑️ Positive student feedback: Received positive student response to AI assistance.

AI Solution:

Ashok Goel, a computer science professor at Georgia Tech, and his assistants received many repetitive inquiries from students on online forums. To address this issue, the professor developed an AI chatbot named Jill Watson, based on the IBM Watson platform. This bot was designed to function as a virtual assistant, helping students with online applications.

Development of the Jill Watson bot

Technology Choice: Goel selected IBM Watson because it is proven compatible with the bot’s requirements and is specialized in natural language processing.

Bot Training:
Goel trained the bot using forum posts from previous semesters. This enabled Jill Watson to learn common student questions and response patterns.

Jill Watson’s functionalities:
● Jill Watson can answer routine, frequently asked questions. (e.g., assignment deadlines, software libraries allowed)
● It can also respond to student introductions on the discussion forum.

Query Handling:
The bot was programmed to autonomously respond to inquiries with a confidence level of 97% or higher. For less confident responses, queries were forwarded to human assistants.