CSU East Bay Taps AI for Intelligent Tutoring and Assessments

A recent analysis of the artificial intelligence (AI) market in the United States education sector predicts a compound annual growth rate of 47.5 percent throughout the 2017-2021 forecast period. An early adopter, California State University East Bay is harnessing the power of AI to offer online students a new learning and assessment experience.

Image Credit: Cognii.

Starting this summer, CSU East Bay students will use AI-powered tools from Cognii, including its Virtual Learning Assistant. The chatbot essentially acts as a “Siri for education,” according to the Cognii website. It uses natural language processing technology to provide instant assessment of open-response answers, as well as qualitative feedback.  

Online learning specialists at CSU East Bay’s Office of the Online Campus and Cognii are developing interactive questions and tutorials, which will be used for the university's online transfer orientation course.

"I believe there are some positive implications of using artificial intelligence for online learning — specifically for the drill and practice, large enrollment classes or specific subjects,” said Roger Wan, senior director of Online Campus, in a news release.

To learn more about the Virtual Learning Assistant, watch the video below or visit the Cognii site.

About the Author

Sri Ravipati is Web producer for THE Journal and Campus Technology. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Digital Network of User Profiles and Data Connections

    Microsoft, RSA Make Identity Security Push in the Age of AI

    Two of the bigger authentication announcements to come out of the recent RSA Conference both point in the same direction: Organizations need a more flexible, unified approach to identity security, especially as AI agents start acting alongside human workers.

  • AI logo near computer equipment

    White House Releases National Policy Framework for AI

    The White House has released a four-page AI policy framework aimed at setting a national approach to AI, with priorities including child safety, intellectual property protections, truth and accuracy guardrails, and worker training for an AI-driven economy.

  • Profile silhouette of a person thoughtfully touching their chin, overlaid with transparent data visualizations and digital interface elements suggesting artificial intelligence and analytics.

    The Institutional Knowledge Shift Is Reshaping Higher Ed IT

    Higher education IT leaders are navigating a quiet but consequential transition: Experienced team members are retiring or leaving for private-sector roles, and the teams replacing them are smaller, newer, and often stretched thin. The result is a structural shift in how technology decisions are made, executed, and sustained.

  • Abstract digital data stream with binary code and colorful light trails

    Microsoft Releases Open Source AI Safety Tools for Agent Development

    Microsoft released RAMPART and Clarity as open-source projects intended to help developers test AI agents earlier in the software lifecycle and turn red-team findings into repeatable engineering checks.