Are you an instructor interested in participating about cutting-edge research about AI this fall? Instructors who meet the eligibility criteria below can join a special pilot of the Virtual Study Assistant (VSA)--a chatbot that answers student questions using your own ELMS-Canvas course materials (including Panopto recordings!) to support student learning and engagement. This research on the VSA’s effectiveness is being conducted by faculty in the College of Education in collaboration with DIT.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Instructors who are teaching one section of a course with multiple sections taught by other instructors. Two or more instructors of a course must consent to participate, after which instructors will be randomly assigned to using the VSA or business as usual.
- Each instructor should have a seperate ELMS-Canvas site for their section of the course where the majority of course materials are posted.
Participating in the study is a unique opportunity to:
- Enhance student access to timely, accurate course information and instructional materials
- Reduce the amount of repetitive questions during your office hours
- Contribute to leading-edge educational research at UMD