COI.
search Request for Consideration arrow_forward menu
close Submit Innovation
close
Education verified Verified Outcome TRL 9

AI Teaching Assistant (Jill Watson)

domain Client: Top Technical University handshake Provider: Internal (Design Intelligence Lab) schedule Deploy: 2016-Present
94 Impact
Enterprise Ready
Evidence Score: 5/10
Strength: Very High

Executive Summary

ANALYST: COI RESEARCH

Deployment of an AI-powered Teaching Assistant ('Jill Watson') in a massive online course, capable of answering routine student questions in forums with human-level accuracy.

rate_review Analyst Verdict

"A landmark moment for AI in EdTech. Proved that AI can handle the 'drudge work' of high-enrollment courses (answering FAQs), allowing human professors to focus on complex mentorship. It passed the Turing Test in a classroom setting."

lock
Full Audit Report Available Includes Risk Register, Technical Specs & Compliance Data.

warning The Challenge

The university's Online Master of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS) had thousands of students. Scaling human TAs to answer thousands of forum posts (e.g., 'When is the assignment due?', 'Can I use this library?') was cost-prohibitive and slow, leading to student frustration with delayed responses.

psychology The Solution

Trained an AI on thousands of previous forum posts using IBM Watson (and later other LLMs). The AI, named 'Jill Watson', was introduced as a TA without revealing its non-human nature. It monitored the discussion board and answered questions where its confidence score was high. It operated 24/7, providing instant feedback.

settings_suggest Technical & Deployment Specs

Integrations
LMS (Canvas/Piazza)
Deployment Model
Custom AI Agent
Data Classification
Student Interactions
Estimated TCO / ROI
Low (after training)
POC Summary (2016 to 2017)

"Piloted in CS7637 (Knowledge-Based AI)."

shield Risk Register & Mitigation

Risk Factor Severity Mitigation Strategy
Hallucination Medium High confidence thresholds required.
Student Trust Low Disclosure after course ends.

trending_up Impact Trajectory

Audited value realization curve

97% accuracy in responses Verified Outcome
Primary KPIStudents nominated the AI for 'TA of the Year'
Audit CycleReduction in human TA workload

policy Compliance & Gov

  • Standards: FERPA
  • Maturity (TRL): 9
  • Evidence Score: 5/10
  • Data Class: Student Interactions

folder_shared Verified Assets

description
Verified Case Study
PDF • Version 1
lock
verified_user
Technical Audit
PDF • Audited
lock

Related Intelligence

article
Enterprise Data Mesh Transformation
View Outcome →
article
Document Fraud Detection for Leasing
View Outcome →
article
Skeletal Tracking for Automated Officiating
View Outcome →
Security Architecture

The "Blind Verification" Protocol

How we verified these outcomes for Top Technical University without exposing sensitive IP or identities.

Private
lock_person

1. Raw Evidence

Audit ID: #PRIV-586
Evidence: Direct SQL Logs
Public
public

2. Verified Asset

Outcome: Verified
Ref ID: #COI-586

Strategic Action Center

Identify your current stage and take the next step.

rocket_launch
Replicate This Success
Want similar results? Request a deployment consultation.
psychology_alt
Submit Challenge
Have a different problem? Submit your problem statement.
publish
Publish Case Study
Submit your own verified evidence.
thumb_up
Verify Impact
Audit your existing solution.