Georgia Tech developed “Jill Watson,” an AI-powered teaching assistant built initially on IBM Watson, to automatically answer frequently asked questions in online course forums for large Computer Science classes. The AI assistant was trained on over 40,000 forum posts to provide accurate, timely responses, reducing human TA workload.
- Reduced response time for student queries
- Handled majority of routine questions
- Eased workload for human TAs
- Seamless integration into course forums
Large class sizes and high volume of repetitive student questions overwhelmed teaching staff, limiting personalized support.
Developed multiple generations of Jill Watson using IBM Watson APIs and later proprietary semantic processing and machine learning to autonomously answer student questions and welcome new students.
- Significant reduction in TA workload
- Improved student support and engagement
- Students unaware AI was assisting
- Enabled TAs to focus on complex queries and personalized feedback
