As Shuchi Deb watched how students use artificial intelligence to do their homework, she knew she needed to ensure they were gaining the knowledge they would need in the future, rather than simply getting an answer without understanding how.
Dr. Deb, associate professor in The University of Texas at Arlington's Department of Industrial, Manufacturing and Systems Engineering, and Mohammad Islam, associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, along with several of Deb's department colleagues, are using a $750,000 National Science Foundation grant to create an AI conversational tutor to guide students through situational assignments.
Deb has already begun testing the system with the Fort Worth Police Department*, helping to develop training using real-life scenarios with prompts based on the principles of de-escalation.
The AI can tell when an officer is being kind and listening, when the officer picks up on something the person wants to talk about and follows that conversation, and when the officer doesn't connect with the person. Then, the AI steers the interaction accordingly, giving officers perspective and practice in an environment where they can learn the skills they need for those high-pressure interactions.
Back in Deb's classroom, her AI tutor will not provide answers. Instead, it will interact with students and prompt them with questions to help them discover the answers on their own, much like a classroom teacher helping a student at their desk.
"I saw my children and my students using AI, and I could see that they were not learning. They were just using AI to finish the assignment," Deb said. "Getting an answer and copying it into a document isn't learning and that concerned me as an engineer. If engineering students don't learn basic skills involved with engineering concepts, they are likely to make mistakes that could be costly or, in some cases, cost people their lives."
The courses will be taught traditionally, with the instructor teaching skills and concepts, while the homework assignments will integrate the AI tutor. It will combine two-dimensional and virtual reality platforms to walk students through a workplace or industrial setting where they must work with others to prioritize tasks and complete the assignment.
The AI will provide instructions for each step and will offer hints if students make a mistake. At the end, it will provide a completed document with a performance analysis that students can use to revise their work, but only within the same platform so they cannot use a separate AI to find answers.
Ultimately, Deb wants to strengthen students' technical skills, build their capacity for ethical AI engagement and prepare them for an AI-enabled workforce.
"AI has limitations, and we want students to understand how to use it, but they also need to gain an actual understanding of the skills and concepts that they will use in their careers," Deb said.
*This work is sponsored by the Fort Worth Police Department and funded by the U.S. Department of Justice under Grant No. 15PBJA-23-GG-06172-NTCP (Angela Love, grant writer and point of contact; Sergeant Nathan Owens, project manager; Officer Jorge Lopez, instructor and designer of training contents).
— Written by Jeremy Agor, College of Engineering
About The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA)
The University of Texas at Arlington is a growing public research university in the heart of Dallas-Fort Worth. With a student body of over 42,700, UTA is the second-largest institution in the University of Texas System, offering more than 180 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Recognized as a Carnegie R-1 university, UTA stands among the nation's top 5% of institutions for research activity. UTA and its 300,000 alumni generate an annual economic impact of $28.8 billion for the state. The University has received the Innovation and Economic Prosperity designation from the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities and has earned recognition for its focus on student access and success, considered key drivers to economic growth and social progress for North Texas and beyond.
