GCU's AI-Powered Education Revolution

Published Date: 10/09/2024

Grand Canyon University is leveraging AI to improve student learning outcomes, from chatbots that tutor students in science and math to AI-powered tools that help faculty create customized lesson plans.

Dressed in purple Grand Canyon University scrubs, stethoscope dangling around her neck, Mira flashes a reassuring smile. Reassuring is good at this point. It’s 1 a.m., your biology exam is in seven hours, the Academic and Career Excellence Centers are closed, and your professor is tucked safely in bed.

“How can I help you today?” Mira asks.

You zip off your question  “How does metabolism work?

“Great question!” Mira is 100% thrilled to fill in the gap. “Metabolism is like your body’s engine, responsible for converting food into energy. Let’s break it down, step by step.”

She rattles off, in neat, numerical order, with added bullet points  ingestion, digestion, absorption, cellular metabolism, catabolism, anabolism.

To make sure you’ve got it, she follows up with  “Which phase of metabolism involves breaking down food into simpler forms?”

Your volley  “digestion.”

“That’s correct!” she says. “You’re doing awesome.”

You would give her a hug... if you could.

But GCU’s science and health care assistant isn’t human. It’s actually the university’s first artificial intelligence chatbot, rolled out in summer 2023 to help prenursing students with prerequisite science courses.

This fall, she’ll be introduced to ground students, tutoring them on everything from Biology 201 and 202 to Chemistry 101.

And she isn’t the only chatbot at GCU.

Plans are for math tutor Isaac, named after Sir Isaac Newton, to debut in the fall.

Dr. Mark Wooden, College of Natural Sciences dean, and Dr. Lisa Smith, College of Nursing and Health Care Professions dean, knew exactly what they wanted to do when GCU’s faculty was inspired to weave AI into the classroom.

“We were just rolling out our science courses online and wanted to assure that students had all the resources they could have available to be successful,” Wooden said.

An AI tutor seemed like the perfect first step, an academic assistant that could be available 24/7, even at 1 a.m., when the academic help centers aren’t open or your nicely tucked-in professor isn’t awake.

And who better to pave the way than one of the fastest growing populations  prenursing students in the midst of their prerequisites?

An academic leadership team worked with multiple departments and colleges to develop, test and make Mira happen.

Nursing faculty knew that students struggle with chemistry and anatomy I and II, and that if they don’t do well, they don’t get into the nursing program or change majors.

“So if we’re going to help with the nursing shortage and fill our ABSN seats, we needed to be even more proactive to help students on the front end to be successful in their pre reqs,” Smith said.

A tool like Mira, she added, “might be a game-changer.”

Science and nursing leaders have been pleased with the results. Student feedback has been positive enough that the number of courses for which Mira is trained to tutor is being increased from 10 to 25.

The math department is hoping for the same kind of success with Isaac.

Department leaders turned to a GCE software-development whiz to fashion a way to help introductory-level college algebra students.

“That course is a struggle point for students, so we were aiming for those areas,” said chatbot architect Nathan Harris, manager of Grand Canyon Education’s Academic Web Services, the department responsible for building GCU’s AI academic assistants. Though, “We are not floating in the area of differential equations yet; we are trying not to overextend them.”

Nathan Harris, manager of Academic Web Services, and the department’s executive director, Miranda Hildebrand, lead a team of designers and developers who are creating AI tutors available 24/7 to students.

Stuck on an algebra equation? Isaac can help.

“Isaac will walk them through the problem to help them understand the steps,” he said. “It’s important to remember, this guides learning and doesn’t just supply the answer.”

That’s a vital element in the development of these AI teaching assistants  They don’t give students the answer; rather, they teach students the process to find the answer.

“When you think about it, AI is going to be the greatest productivity and creative tool known to man,” Colangelo College of Business Faculty Chair Greg Lucas said.

Bold statement.

It’s why Lucas is so keen on pushing AI into the classroom.

In March, he conducted a fundamentals of AI session so students could earn a Google Cloud skills badge in generative AI – a type of artificial intelligence that uses machine learning to create new content.

“We had a lot of response,” said the college’s dean, John Kaites. “Now it’s going to be mandatory and part of the basic technology classes you take at the Colangelo College of Business.”

Lucas, a regular contributor at Generative AI Committee meetings, also created a series of AI initiatives in the college, from providing opportunities to students to earn digital badges, to implementing degree programs, such as an MBA with an emphasis in AI.

GCU President Brian Mueller has said that, just as the university pioneered online education 15 years ago, it’s determined to be a leader in artificial intelligence in the next decade.

“There’s so much more we can do for students with generative AI,” Hildebrand said. “What we learn with these tutor chatbots will help lead us down a pathway of greater study tools and resources that will help students truly be able to elevate their learning.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg.”

Grand Canyon University (GCU) is a private Christian university located in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1949, GCU offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in fields such as business, education, healthcare, and technology.

The Colangelo College of Business at GCU is one of the largest and most respected business schools in the country, offering a range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in fields such as business administration, accounting, finance, and marketing.

The College of Natural Sciences at GCU offers a range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in fields such as biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics.

The College of Nursing and Health Care Professions at GCU offers a range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in fields such as nursing, healthcare administration, and health education.

Grand Canyon Education (GCE) is a leading provider of online education services, offering a range of degree programs and courses to students around the world.

FAQS:

Q: What is artificial intelligence?

A: Artificial intelligence (AI) is a type of computer science that enables machines to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as learning, problem-solving, and decision-making.

Q: How is GCU using AI in education?

A: GCU is using AI to develop chatbots that tutor students in science and math, as well as AI-powered tools that help faculty create customized lesson plans.

Q: What is the goal of GCU's AI initiatives?

A: The goal of GCU's AI initiatives is to improve student learning outcomes and provide students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their careers.

Q: What is the difference between AI and machine learning?

A: AI refers to the broader field of computer science that enables machines to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, while machine learning is a specific type of AI that involves the use of algorithms to analyze data and make predictions or decisions.

Q: How will AI impact the future of education?

A: AI is likely to have a significant impact on the future of education, enabling personalized learning, automating administrative tasks, and providing teachers with real-time feedback and support.

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