Professors at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) are using an AI tool called Kudu to create textbooks, assignments, and more.
According to Saednews' Science and Technology service, quoting ISNA, there are moments in life with artificial intelligence where we feel like we're crossing a threshold from which there is no return. The latest example of such a moment is happening at UCLA, where a professor is asking AI to create lecture notes, assignments, and teaching assistant materials for her class on medieval literature to the seventeenth century.
Professor Zrinka Stahuljak uses an AI tool called Kudu, created by Alexander Kusenko, a professor of physics and astronomy at UCLA, and a former UCLA PhD student named Warren Essey.
They see "Kudu" as a high-quality, low-cost way for students to access all the information they need, while professors can focus on teaching.
"Kudu" extracts content from PowerPoint presentations, YouTube videos, lecture notes, and other materials that Professor Stahuljak provides. According to UCLA, this process should not take more than 20 hours of the professor’s time, and they can edit the materials afterward.
The resulting textbook is available digitally for $25 and can be printed or used as an audiobook. "Kudu" also uses the educational materials provided to answer student questions. Additionally, it can determine whether more than half of the content provided by a student was generated by AI.
Professor Stahuljak says, "I used to spend class time creating content and using visual images to show the material, but now all of that is in the textbook we've created, and I can actually work with students to read the primary sources, explain their meaning, analyze them, and think critically."
She added, "This AI allows us to spend more time teaching fundamental analytical skills, critical thinking, and reading skills in a way that shows what professors do best." She plans to use "Kudu" for other courses in the future.
This AI-based tool is currently being tested this semester in an introductory history class and will be available for Professor Stahuljak's course in 2025. It remains to be seen how successful this will be, and most importantly, whether AI will remain a tool for teachers and professors or become a low-cost way to replace them.
