| Title | Online Course Enhanced Learning Intelligent Assistant (OCELIA) - scaffolding academic reading and course material |
|---|---|
| Faculty/College/Unit | Arts |
| Status | Active |
| Duration | 2 Year |
| Initiation | 04/01/2025 |
| Funding Details | |
| Year 1: Project Year | Year 1 |
| Year 1: Funding Year | 2025/2026 |
| Year 1: Project Type | Large TLEF |
| Year 1: Principal Investigator | Siobhán Wittig McPhee |
| Year 1: Funded Amount | 117,282 |
| Year 1: Team Members | Siobhán Wittig McPhee, Associate Professor of Teaching, Geography, Faculty of Arts |
| Year 1: Summary | *Special Call: GenAI Collaborative Cluster Grants* The Online Course Enhanced Learning Intelligent Assistant (OCELIA) is a prototype supported by Emerging Media Lab (EML) and designed to enhance student engagement with dense academic materials using generative AI. OCELIA helps students better prepare for discussion/tutorial sessions by engaging them in guided, thought-provoking dialogue rather than providing direct answers. It promotes critical thinking, expands students' understanding, and builds confidence for class discussions. Unlike standard chatbots, OCELIA evolves with the learner, offering scaffolded learning experiences and fostering digital literacy. The tool includes agents that assist with challenging topics, ask Socratic questions, and connect material across weeks. Initially, OCELIA will be implemented in three courses (Geography, Economics and English), with plans to scale to 700 students. Budget considerations for the project include per-user costs for the LLM sandbox and additional infrastructure. The Library is a central partner to help navigate copyright and access in the realm of AI. |
| Year 2: Project Year | Year 2 |
| Year 2: Funding Year | 2026/2027 |
| Year 2: Project Type | Large TLEF |
| Year 2: Principal Investigator | Siobhán Wittig McPhee |
| Year 2: Funded Amount | 77,219 |
| Year 2: Team Members | Siobhán Wittig McPhee, Associate Professor of Teaching, Geography, Faculty of Arts |
| Year 2: Summary | *Special Call: GenAI Collaborative Cluster Grants* The Online Course Enhanced Learning Intelligent Assistant (OCELIA), currently a prototype supported by Emerging Media Lab (EML), aims to improve student engagement with ‘denser’ academic reading and course materials using generative AI. OCELIA addresses the concern that students often come to tutorial or discussion sessions unprepared to engage in meaningful dialogue or struggle to understand key concepts. The intention of OCELIA is for students to engage with the tool through guided prompts that, rather than providing direct answers, engage students in dialogue to help them expand their understanding and thinking about the concepts, giving them confidence and content to bring to their tutorial and discussion sections. Unlike typical chatbots, OCELIA is a learning assistant that ‘grows’ with the student by providing scaffolded learning experiences and promoting digital literacy. The tool aims to include distinct agents to handle different aspects. |