Pensieve Discuss: Scalable Small-Group CS Tutoring System with AI
Project Overview
The document discusses the implementation of generative AI in education through the Pensieve Discuss platform, which is specifically tailored for small-group tutoring in Computer Science courses. By integrating AI with human tutor support, the platform enables collaborative problem-solving and synchronous editing, resulting in a more interactive learning environment. In a CS1 course with 800 students, the use of Pensieve Discuss led to notable enhancements in student collaboration, increased satisfaction, and a higher volume of questions compared to traditional tutoring methods. The findings underscore the potential of AI to significantly improve the educational experience by fostering collaboration among students and providing timely support, ultimately demonstrating that generative AI can be a powerful tool for enhancing learning outcomes in academic settings.
Key Applications
Pensieve Discuss
Context: Small-group tutoring sessions in a CS1 course with 800 students at UC Berkeley
Implementation: The platform was deployed for a semester-long course, allowing students to collaborate in real-time while receiving support from both AI tutors and teaching assistants.
Outcomes: Increased collaboration rates, higher student satisfaction, and a substantial increase in the volume of questions asked during sessions.
Challenges: Resource constraints in monitoring multiple groups, ensuring effective collaboration among students, and managing the balance between AI and human tutor interaction.
Implementation Barriers
Resource constraints
Limited availability of teaching assistants makes it difficult to provide dedicated support for each small-group session.
Proposed Solutions: Integrating AI tutors to alleviate the workload on human TAs and improve support during tutoring sessions.
Collaboration challenges
Students working on individual tasks may struggle to collaborate effectively when using separate tools.
Proposed Solutions: Using a synced editor in Pensieve Discuss to allow students to see each other's work and collaborate in real-time.
Project Team
Yoonseok Yang
Researcher
Jack Liu
Researcher
J. D. Zamfirescu-Pereira
Researcher
John DeNero
Researcher
Contact Information
For information about the paper, please contact the authors.
Authors: Yoonseok Yang, Jack Liu, J. D. Zamfirescu-Pereira, John DeNero
Source Publication: View Original PaperLink opens in a new window
Project Contact: Dr. Jianhua Yang
LLM Model Version: gpt-4o-mini-2024-07-18
Analysis Provider: Openai