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Project

PyTutor: Empowering Equitable Education Pathways in Computing with Generative AI

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PyTutor, is a collaborative initiative between MIT, Georgia State University (GSU), and Quinsigamond Community College (QCC) to leverage generative AI technologies to create equitable computing  educational pathways. Supported by funding from MIT and Axim Collaborative, the project focuses on harnessing the potential of AI-driven tutors to enhance learning outcomes for students, especially at minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and community colleges. The main goal of the AI tutor is to follow a pedagogical approach, such as socratic method, to help students understand the concepts, rather than providing the answer, which is the approach of the current LLM technologies. Our findings from focus group studies shed light on student experiences, preferences with AI tutors, and revealed how different pedagogical styles — Socratic versus didactic — cater to diverse student learning preferences and needs.

Project Key Objectives:

1- Identify and address the unique challenges faced by under-resourced students in computing education. By offering personalized, round-the-clock support, AI tutors can help under-resourced students balance their complex school and work schedules more effectively.

2- Evaluate the effectiveness and preferences of state-of-the-art large language model (LLM) tutors in introductory computing courses. Addressing systemic and pedagogical challenges with AI can help reduce attrition rates and improve retention, particularly in introductory computing courses.

3- Explore how generative AI can be used to not only to help students in their computing courses pedagogically, but also to support equitable access, personalized learning, and student success. Generative AI can provide tailored content that respects and incorporates students' cultural backgrounds and unique learning needs, fostering inclusive and supportive educational environments.

4- Prioritize the needs and preferences of students, and educators to inform the design and deployment of the PyTutor. Cultivating critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and ethical considerations in students to better prepare them for the dynamic and collaborative nature of future work environments.