AI Powered Intelligent Tutoring Systems, Challenges and Opportunities
By Ekaterina Kochmar

Ekaterina Kochmar will give a talk on AI Powered Intelligent Tutoring Systems, Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

Despite artificial intelligence (AI) having transformed major aspects of our society, only a fraction of its potential has been explored, let alone deployed, for education. AI-powered learning can provide millions of learners with personalized, active and practical learning experiences, which are key to successful learning, especially relevant in the context of online learning platforms. In this talk, I will overview my work on intelligent tutoring across several domains – from literacy and second language learning to teaching STEM subjects. As a case in point, I will present Korbit – a dialogue-based Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) powered by AI methods, and I will elaborate on how we used AI approaches to provide learners on this platform with highly personalized and active learning experiences. Next, I will present and discuss the results of the comparative head-to-head studies contrasting Korbit ITS with a popular MOOC platform and demonstrating a statistically significant increase in learning outcomes with the ITS, stemming from personalized feedback and suggesting that high-quality learning experiences can be made available to millions of learners around the world with the use of AI. Finally, I will overview how the most recent generative AI methods are employed in the context of ITS, discuss the extent to which these methods can be adopted in the educational space, and summarize what challenges lie ahead.

Biography

Ekaterina Kochmar is an Assistant Professor at the Natural Language Processing Department at MBZUAI, where she conducts research at the intersection of artificial intelligence, natural language processing and intelligent tutoring systems. Previously, she was a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) at the Department of Computer Science of the University of Bath, where she was part of the AI research group; and prior to that, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the ALTA (Automated Language Teaching and Assessment) Institute, University of Cambridge, focusing on the development of educational applications for second language learners. Her research contributed to the building of Read & Improve, a readability tutoring system for non-native readers of English. She has also co-founded and served as the chief scientific officer of Korbit AI, and her work contributed to the building of Korbi, an AI-powered dialogue-based tutoring system capable of providing learners with high-quality, interactive and personalized education in STEM subjects. She has recently received a Google Academic Research Award recognizing her impact and contributions to the field of AI in education.