Conversational AI beings Nova, Hannah, and Eddie are edYOU’s digital tutors. (Image Credit: edYOU)
A new approach to personalized computer instruction could help mitigate the impact of teacher shortages, understaffed classrooms, and lackluster self-learning, issues that have worsened since the pandemic.
The EdYOU solution is built around an AI-powered learning tool that uses a visionary approach to enhance learning experiences for students and career-changing adults.
According to data from Education Week, the National Center for Education Statistics, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, an estimated 270,000 teachers and staff quit or retire across the country every year. The pandemic worsened the teacher shortage situation. Over the last few years, 41 states and the District of Columbia faced shortages in at least one subject area or grade level.
Most states now have more vacant positions and underqualified teachers in classrooms than in previous years. Last year ended with over 55,000 teacher vacancies nationwide for grades K-12. The U.S. Department of Education defines three types of teacher shortages: unfilled positions, positions filled by underqualified teachers, and positions filled by teachers in a different subject than their certification.
Enrollment for teacher certification programs is declining or stagnating. Most states have seen a sharp increase in teachers exiting their classrooms in the last two years compared to the previous decade. Even worse, surveys revealed that a growing percentage of remaining teachers (12%) were dissatisfied with their jobs. More than four in 10 teachers shared they were likely to leave their jobs within two years.
To help solve the teacher shortage, Michael Everest, founder and CEO of edYOU, pioneered a creative method to overcome the challenges traditional teaching methods pose. By offering personalized tutoring and learning tools, edYOU empowers students and educators alike, bridging gaps left by staffing shortages and ensuring students receive the attention they deserve.
“I started edYOU with a passion for improving the downward trend in education outcomes. EdYOU is the first AI company that is not a chatbot but utilizes human-like meta-humans [animations] to teach conversationally in real time, not using recorded videos,” he told TechNewsWorld.
Adaptive AI Avatars for Academic Support
This approach is rooted in adaptability. Everest developed the three avatars available on the platform, which are safe AI entities. Each offers personalized and continuous support, fostering interactive communication and delivering a distinctive learning experience, he explained.
EdYOU has APIs that allow easy integration with common education software for classrooms, learning management systems, and enterprise tools. Users of all ages can log onto the website and use a web browser or mobile app to select the type of academic support and subject matter they need.
As students study, they can request their AI avatar companion to help tutor them or explain concepts so they can learn at their own pace. During the preparation of multiple-choice questions, for instance, Hannah, Nova, or Eddie (shown above) can assist by guiding the choice of correct answers.
Students can select subject areas and easily engage with their study buddy avatars, as shown in this screenshot from the company’s YouTube video demonstrating the on-screen learning system.
If the student makes an error, the digital didactic tutor provides a comprehensive explanation of what went wrong and why. This approach facilitates a deeper understanding and learning from mistakes.
Expanding Knowledge Without Digital Distress
The edYOU platform leverages AI to ensure a safe and effective educational experience in any environment, whether at home or school. In essence, the life-like avatar becomes a personal study buddy.
Students bypass having to type questions in on-screen terminal windows and having to read detailed replies. Instead, natural-sounding conversations, initiated by clicking the microphone icon, allow free-flowing exchanges.
All conversations are encrypted. Student data is anonymized and aggregated before in-house technicians monitor voice tracks. Parents can view transcripts and recordings of their child’s sessions, providing transparency into lessons.
EdYOU support agents are available 24/7 via in-app chat, email, and phone contact. Students and parents can always reach a real person. The teaching team consists of Ph.D. scientists, former teachers, child development experts, data ethics experts, and experienced AI researchers and engineers.
Adaptability Makes All the Difference
This type of guided approach differs from other computer-assisted and guidebook-style learning solutions, offered Everest. Students can ask their avatars questions to get correct answers or help with test prep.
The platform uses natural language processing (NLP) to tailor personalized conversations to each learner’s interests and knowledge. It does not simply regurgitate internet information. The unique conversational “AI beings” build mentor-like relationships with students to provide next-level customized education.
According to Everest, EdYOU’s push for adaptability is also a big factor in its success ratings. Many existing solutions aim for a program that does it all. He contends that you must teach AI programs to change tactics and present non-robotic personalities to each user.
“That philosophy drives edYOU, making it universal but still personal,” he said.
Traditional education operates under a one-size-fits-all model, with very little diversification in how students can learn. It is well-documented that attention spans are low in school, Everest continued. Not so with avatar-based presentations.
If students do not understand something, they can actively seek out the information. Unlike in traditional classroom settings, students do not need to feel anxious or hesitant about asking for help in front of their peers for fear of looking “dumb.”
“Many factors need to be considered, such as certain questions being hard to find directly answered online, and even then, it may only be the answer without context,” Everest explained about why other solutions may not meet every student’s needs.
Why the Platform Works for Students, Teachers
Curriculum updates in schools and other programmed learning software are scarce. Students use textbooks printed as far back as 10 years alongside outdated teaching methods.
“It is challenging to cater to success for all when students are lumped together, and some teachers have up to 100 students. The current system works, but it is not designed to promote higher success rates, as these numbers continue to fall each year,” observed Everest.
The AI technology creates personalized tutoring based on participant interaction and data insights gained from them. It is similar to one-on-one virtual tutoring, supported by the vast knowledge of AI and expert-collected information.
The teaching tool encourages the safe use of AI in education. According to Everest, responsible AI enables teachers to enhance their effectiveness while prioritizing their well-being.
“This type of AI platform can serve as a valuable assistant to teachers and educators, providing support and enhancing the learning experience. It should be properly filtered to ensure factual accuracy and alignment with the approved curriculum,” he said.
“This support level can be incredibly empowering for individuals who may otherwise feel discouraged and overwhelmed,” he noted.
Advancing the Future of Education
Everest insists this controlled use of instructional AI is the future of modern education. He wanted people not to feel like they were only interacting with tech, which is how the idea of an avatar came about.
Developing the AI platform was not an easy endeavor. It was a lengthy process that ended up looking very different from the initial vision.
“It took years of researching different developers and going through many trial attempts to get it as meta-human as I had imagined,” said Everest of his developmental journey.
