Cengage, the US higher education business of global EdTech company Cengage Group, recently announced the beta launch of its GenAI-powered Student Assistant, which more than 5,000 students will have the opportunity to test this fall semester.
The Student Assistant, which is integrated into Cengage’s online learning platform MindTap, guides students through the learning process by providing access to relevant resources when they need them, tailoring feedback in real-time, and the ability to connect with key concepts in new ways to improve student learning. It does not provide answers but assists students in understanding concepts, applying what they have learned, and arriving at the proper answers.
Michael E. Hansen, CEO of Cengage Group, stated:
Generative AI (GenAI) presents an immense opportunity to enhance the learning experience, foster student engagement, and improve educational outcomes. At Cengage Group, we recognize the importance of thoughtful approaches to developing and implementing AI solutions. We have spent considerable time talking to students, faculty and other industry stakeholders to ensure we introduce a solution that addresses the challenges facing students and educators in the classroom today and upholds the highest standards of academic integrity.
Hansen added:
I am thrilled to bring this GenAI-powered tool to market and get it into the hands of students. We know that everyone learns at a different pace and in other ways; the Student Assistant empowers all learners to personalize their experience better, increasing engagement, deepening understanding, improving outcomes, and ultimately, setting them up for greater success.
The Student Assistant is trained to prioritize pedagogy and has advanced expertise in a respective discipline but is confined to the knowledge only in a given course area. Within each discipline, instructors, subject matter experts, and students train the Assistant to ensure accuracy and academic integrity, remove bias and set the right tone. Additionally, given the rapid evolution of GenAI, Cengage’s technology and innovation team is evaluating multiple large language models (LLMs) to ensure the most optimal model is used for each discipline. This approach – unique from other AI-powered assistants in the market – helps focus the technology and creates a better learning experience for the student.
Cheryl Costantini, SVP of Product Management, Cengage Academic, commented:
At Cengage, creating quality, engaging learning experiences has always been our priority. The Student Assistant offers a valuable enhancement to complement the classroom experience and create a more equitable learning environment for every student. We know there is heightened concern about academic integrity and rigour. It has consistently ranked as the top concern for faculty we’ve surveyed, with over 80 per cent citing it as the top risk of GenAI. Educators fear students will only look to this technology to cheat. We kept this top of mind throughout product development to ensure we created a tool that is laser-focused on helping students learn.
According to Cengage’s research, faculty and students see the most potential for GenAI assistants in disciplines dealing with critical thinking and multi-step processes. With this in mind, the firm selected four courses for the beta test where AI can deliver meaningful value: Principles of Management, Organizational Behavior, Lifespan Psychology, and Principles of Economics. Cengage will be evaluating several factors in this beta evaluation, including student engagement, learning outcomes, satisfaction and the value for both students and educators
Cengage serves millions of instructors, learners and institutions. The platform delivers affordable, high-quality digital products and personalized support to power learning individually and at scale. Its textbooks, homework tools, and flagship online learning platforms, MindTap and WebAssign, help 11 educators and students achieve their goals. The company plans to expand Student Assistant availability in Spring 2025.
