AI-powered Chatbots for Courses - Seeking Faculty Partners

This spring, Duke OIT is continuing its pilot program to build AI-powered chatbot systems for courses, and we’re looking for faculty partners to join us. Last fall, we implemented this technology in two classes—one in statistics and one in law—where students used AI chatbots integrated into Canvas to study, ask questions, and explore course materials in new ways. These chatbots were built using a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) system supported by a knowledge graph, enabling them to provide accurate, context-specific answers based on course content provided by faculty, such as PDFs, lecture notes, and other resources.  Most importantly, it also allowed students to use these annotated answers to refer back to the underlying material to continue their learning or check the source.

We’re excited to expand this pilot to additional courses and continue learning how AI tools can support teaching and enhance learning outcomes. Participating faculty will have the opportunity to explore cutting-edge AI applications in education, receive hands-on support from OIT in building and integrating their chatbot, and contribute valuable insights into the role of AI in the classroom.

If you’re interested in participating or learning more, please reach out to Michael Faber (maf13@duke.edu).

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