At Tallinn University of Technology, an innovative personal student assistant has been developed to help students learn more effectively and lecturers teach more efficiently. It is an artificial intelligence – based system capable of answering students’ recurring questions, providing personalized support, and even initiating conversations when it detects that someone may be struggling with their studies.
The Future of Education Is Born from Collaboration Between Humans and Artificial Intelligence
The idea for the project emerged from the need to reduce lecturers’ workload and improve the student learning experience. Each semester, TalTech lecturers face hundreds of recurring questions – ranging from homework deadlines to course administration details. At the same time, students increasingly need individual support and feedback.
To address this challenge, a student assistant based on large language models (e.g., GPT) was developed. It is capable of understanding context and providing students with fast and personalized feedback. The assistant is integrated with TalTech’s Moodle learning environment and communicates with students both via the web and through Discord, ensuring availability in the platforms students use daily.
Students can ask the assistant for help with homework, deadlines, or course topics. The system is integrated with Moodle, ensuring that each student sees only their own data and assignments and that the conversation context remains focused on course content.
The assistant does not only respond to questions but can also act proactively. For example, if a student has not submitted their homework on time or a deadline is approaching, the system can initiate a conversation, ask how things are going, and help plan the next steps. This makes learning not only more convenient but also more motivating – students feel monitored and supported. All of this takes place securely and automatically – users are authenticated via TalTech’s Azure AD, and the system manages access rights precisely.
Benefits for Students and Lecturers
Students receive:
- Quick answers to recurring questions – 24/7, without waiting time;
- Personalized support based on their actual learning progress;
- A motivating and interactive learning experience available both online and on Discord.
Lecturers gain:
- More time by reducing the need to answer repetitive questions, allowing focus on substantive topics;
- The ability to monitor learners’ overall progress;
- Access to system-collected data for analyzing and improving teaching.
The assistant is therefore a supporter of teaching, not a replacement – a tool that strengthens the value of human guidance. The system is also scalable – its architecture allows the addition of new AI models and functionality enhancements as needed.
Among the upcoming features is a Moodle Assignment activity in which students engage in a conversation with the assistant on a course topic. The assistant asks questions, and the student must respond. The assistant provides ongoing feedback on the answers. Once the predefined number of questions on the assigned topic has been answered, information about the results is sent to the Moodle environment.
Innovation That Increases the University’s Digital Maturity
The personal student assistant is part of TalTech’s broader digital transformation. Digital transformation in education is not only about new tools but also about a new mindset – how to use technology to support personal development and knowledge growth. The project combines artificial intelligence, educational technology, and the university’s internal data ecosystem to provide learners with a truly personalized learning experience. It helps make teaching more efficient, supportive, and flexible – exactly what modern students expect.
The assistant is already in use in several IT Faculty courses and continues to be developed in collaboration with students and lecturers. If you would like to contribute to the assistant’s development or implement it in your course, please get in touch!
The development of the assistant is supported by the European Union Regional Development Fund support program SekMo.
Project: 2021–2027.1.01.24-0479 “Development of a Personal Student Assistant at Tallinn University of Technology” (01.07.2024–30.06.2026).