Over the past five years, education technology has made significant strides, merging innovation with greater accessibility. Virtual classrooms, online courses, and digital tools are now widespread, significantly broadening access to learning. However, the rising use of EdTech has also brought to the forefront some key growth areas in the online learning experience. These include enhancing student engagement and course completion rates, improving personalised learning, and reducing practical challenges that limit instructors’ ability to cater to individual student needs.
Conversational AI tackles these issues head-on and raises the standard of online learning. Based on advanced large language models (LLMs), conversational AI is capable of building interactive, compelling learning experiences by enabling virtual teaching assistants (TAs) that mimic real-time, dynamic learning support.
AI Teaching Assistants: Always Available, Deeply Engaged
AI-powered teaching assistants are transforming the EdTech landscape by creating intelligent, customised learning experiences. Such virtual TAs can respond instantly to each student’s individualistic needs, facilitating effective and customised one-on-one learning using features like:
- Real-Time Interaction: By mimicking natural conversation, conversational AI provides ongoing dialogue and instant feedback—especially effective for subjects such as language learning.
- Round-the-Clock Support: AI teaching assistants provide consistent guidance and encouragement, keeping students motivated and connected even outside regular class hours.
- Closing Learning Gaps: With targeted follow-ups and reinforcement between lessons, AI helps ensure students grasp and retain key concepts.
- Customised Learning Paths: AI can dynamically adjust content and pacing based on each student’s progress, performance, and engagement history, offering a truly personalised educational journey.
Tailoring AI Teaching Assistants to Your Curriculum
EdTech companies can smoothly onboard AI-powered instructional assistants by mapping their current learning material with advanced large language models (LLMs) through Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG). This method facilitates scalable, context-aware, and personalised, as well as individualised, student support.
RAG is an AI framework that enhances LLM performance by integrating them into real-time information retrieval. It draws valid data from assigned sources, such as study materials or knowledge bases, and feeds them into the LLM. This approach ensures that the generated answers are context-relevant, accurate, and curriculum-aligned—making it especially effective for teaching subject-specific lessons or supporting language learning.
The integration process generally follows these key steps:
- Upload Course Materials: Educational institutions provide their curriculum content, which serves as the core knowledge base for the large language model (LLM) powering the AI teaching assistant.
- Develop Virtual Teaching Assistants: A conversational AI platform that supports real-time voice interactions and connects directly to the customised LLM.
- Embed AI TA in Learning Systems: Developers integrate the voice-enabled AI assistant into the existing educational application or learning management system.
- Launch AI-Enhanced Learning: Students can then interact with the AI assistant during learning sessions to review lessons, ask questions, participate in verbal quizzes, practice language skills, and more.
Leading the Way: Real-World Applications of AI in Learning
Several EdTech companies are utilising conversational AI to enhance learning outcomes. Platforms like Duolingo and Praktika.ai, among others, are revolutionising language learning by offering AI-powered, interactive, and personalised experiences through virtual avatars.
Take Duolingo, for instance. Its AI-powered video call feature introduces a virtual character named Lily, designed to mimic natural, real-time conversation. This feature gives students a relaxed and engaging space to practise and improve their speaking skills. The AI adapts its answers to the user’s skill level, making them suitable for both beginners and advanced learners. Lily also features emotive animations that react to the user’s voice, offers transcripts for review, and is even capable of making calls to reinforce regular practice. This AI-assisted learning platform enhances motivation and promotes regular engagement, making learning both effective and enjoyable.
Agora’s Conversational AI: Driving the Future of EdTech
As demonstrated by pioneers such as Duolingo and Praktika.ai, conversational AI is a game-changer in the education sector. To truly harness its potential, however, institutions need a platform that delivers engaging, human-like interactions at scale. Agora’s Conversational AI Engine makes this possible through ultra-low-latency voice communication, supported by its robust global real-time network.
Key highlights of Agora’s Conversational AI Engine include:
- Natural Conversation Flow: Enables realistic, context-aware dialogue that keeps learners actively engaged.
- Scalable Personalisation: It supports personalised, on-demand learning experiences for large student bases, ensuring the system effectively meets the individual needs of each student.
- Seamless Integration: Easily integrates with existing EdTech platforms, allowing for rapid implementation and immediate educational benefits.
With Agora’s technology, educational institutions can deliver dynamic, interactive instruction that enhances learning accessibility, effectiveness, and engagement on a global scale.
The article has been written by Ranga Jagannath, Senior Director – Growth, Agora
