The University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business (Michigan Ross) has launched a new artificial intelligence-powered virtual teaching assistant (TA) pilot program in collaboration with Google.
The virtual TA aims to facilitate self-paced learning, explain complex course concepts on demand, and guide students through problem-solving without revealing answers by acting as a “practice partner.” The technology is assisted by Google Gemini’s chatbot feature and is customizable by educators to incorporate “nuances of specific curricula,” according to the university.
So far, the AI tool has been piloted in several Michigan Ross courses including financial technology, operations strategy, operations analytics, and statistics. The virtual TA provides real-time analytics on student engagement, summaries of commonly asked questions, and feedback on the agent’s effectiveness.
“We’ve seen early indications of success in leveraging the AI-powered Virtual TA and look forward to further using this tool to advance learning,” said Jun Li, professor of technology and operations at Michigan Ross, in a statement.
Initial results have shown improved student engagement and deeper insights into student learning patterns for instructors.
Following the pilot’s deployment, Michigan Ross also announced that it will incorporate insights from the virtual TA into a research study spanning 26 schools, 72 courses, and about 9,000 students. The study will aim to develop best practices for deploying AI technology in higher education.
The study marks one of the largest AI deployments in education to date, according to Michigan Ross.
“Google Public Sector is proud to pioneer this personalized learning approach to improve educational delivery, provide early identification for intervention, and help educators solve some of their most pressing challenges,” said Chris Hein, field chief technology officer for Google Public Sector, in a statement.