The 草莓视频鈥檚 Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing is expanding faculty access to its AI Course Companion, an instructional tool designed to enhance teaching and support student learning.
Developed by faculty in the university鈥檚 newest college, the AI Course Companion鈥檚 use has increased during the last two semesters and is now available for instructors in other colleges at USF.
The AI Course Companion (AICC) combines instructor-provided course materials with an interactive AI assistant embedded in Canvas. Students can ask questions, review concepts and practice exam material using instructor-approved content.
Professor William Gauvin began using the tool last summer and continued into the fall semester with two courses 鈥� Foundations of Cybersecurity and Malware Analysis and Reverse Engineering. He said it provided quick, descriptive and accurate aid to students working on the labs within his course.
鈥淚t alleviated student stress and optimized the valuable time required to complete the assignments by preventing roadblocks and providing specific syntax examples for configurations and rules that could otherwise result in hours of frustrating trial and error,鈥� he said.
For students, the AICC is a multilingual, context-aware AI tutor that embeds directly within Canvas. Unlike generic AI models such as ChatGPT, the AICC draws from actual USF course materials, uploaded by USF course instructors. That can include the instructor's syllabus, lecture slides and supplementary readings.
鈥淲e developed this tool for our students and faculty to enhance the effectiveness of teaching and learning,鈥� said Oguzhan Topsakal, an associate professor in the Bellini College who oversees the development of the AI application. 鈥淚t鈥檚 there and available at any time. It allows students to deep dive into specific slides, work on AI-suggested practice questions and even listen to course-related podcasts generated from lecture materials.鈥�
During a demonstration, Topsakal showed how student interaction with the AI tool increased significantly in the weeks leading up to final exams. Students asked hundreds of questions of the AICC and used it to study for their exams.
Students can use the AICC鈥檚 functions to generate study flash cards at varying levels of difficulty, practice with previous exam questions and pose their own questions to the AI assistant. All the responses are generated from the materials that are uploaded by the instructor and can be translated into any language through the app.
鈥淭he AI Course Companion helped me break down complex concepts into smaller steps and gave me instant clarification when I was stuck,鈥� said France Medeley Guillou, a USF student who used the AICC during the fall semester. 鈥淚t also allowed me to review lecture slides more efficiently and generate targeted practice questions, which improved my understanding and confidence before the exam.鈥�
While students benefit from round-the-clock assistance from the AI application, faculty can view how students are interacting with the AICC, helping them identify areas where students may be struggling. Although student identities remain anonymous, instructors can see what questions they ask, how they interact with it and receive feedback on the material in the app.
Faculty do not need to monitor the system continuously. Instead, they receive automated weekly email summaries that highlight common misconceptions, frequently asked questions, usage trends, and actionable recommendations. After an initial setup that takes less than 30 minutes, ongoing maintenance is simple: with one click from the weekly email, instructors can transfer newly posted Canvas materials (e.g., lecture slides) to AICC.
鈥淭he platform supports teaching by providing insights and feedback to make the process more effective and enjoyable for the faculty and the student,鈥� Topsakal said.
鈥淭he AI Course Companion enabled the ethical and efficient leveraging of AI in my courses,鈥� said Associate Professor Alessio Gaspar, also part of the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing. 鈥淚t knows the material that we are using, it knows when to not give too much information about assignments, and it provides students with a stream of advice, encouragements and practice opportunities. I am determined to use it in all my future courses.鈥�
To maintain the integrity of their courses, instructors also can set specific times when the AI tool is unavailable, such as during exam periods, to prevent misuse.
鈥淲e have designed this to support our students and faculty,鈥� Topsakal said. 鈥淲e want every student to have the ability to get help outside office hours, while at the same time maintaining the integrity of the course.鈥�
The Bellini College invites faculty from disciplines to explore the free tool, which will be supported by the Bellini College. This expansion aims to add about 15 courses for non-Bellini faculty during the initial phase. Those wanting more information on using the AI Course Companion, can contact Oguzhan Topsakal.