At Nanyang Technological University (NTU), educators like Assistant Professor Leonard Ng often receive redundant questions from students, which are usually answered in readily available online resources or previous communications. To address the surge in such queries, especially during pre-exam periods, Prof Ng and his colleagues at NTU's School of Materials Science and Engineering developed an AI chatbot named Leodar. Launched in early January, Leodar serves as both a teaching and administrative tool, significantly reducing the volume of daily student emails.
Since its introduction, Leodar has managed over 12,000 inquiries from more than 150 users. This has allowed faculty members to devote more time to addressing complex student issues. Encouraged by Leodar’s effectiveness, NTU plans to replicate its success across other departments through the NTU AI Learning Assistants Project, which aims to standardize AI chatbot development across the university.
Leodar operates on a retrieval augmented generation model, which limits responses to a predefined knowledge base, minimizing the risk of generating inaccurate information. The chatbot is continually updated by a dedicated team of tutors with the latest course content, ensuring its responses remain relevant and accurate. This backend management is crucial for the chatbot's reliability and effectiveness.
Students have found Leodar particularly useful. You Yan Yan, an MSE student, noted that unlike broader AI models like ChatGPT, Leodar's responses are tailored to the specific curriculum, providing precise and relevant answers. Another student, Wang Tzu Wei, highlighted the convenience of Leodar in providing quick access to information that would otherwise require navigating multiple university web pages.
This trend of educational AI assistants is gaining momentum. The National University of Singapore introduced AI-Know, a suite of AI tools for faculty, and plans to extend its services to students. Similarly, the Institute of Technical Education is developing an AI assistant to help update course curricula based on job market trends and create self-assessment modules for students.
These initiatives underscore the growing role of AI in enhancing educational efficiency and supporting both students and faculty by streamlining access to information and customizing learning experiences.