In the spring semester of 2024, Prof Dr Oliver Bendel integrated virtual tutors into his teaching. These were ‘custom versions of ChatGPT’, so-called GPTs. Social Robotics Girl was available for the elective modules on social robotics, created in November 2023, and Digital Ethics Girl from February 2024 for the compulsory modules “Ethik und Recht” and ‘Ethics and Law’ within the Wirtschaftsinformatik and Business Information Technology degree programmes (FHNW School of Business) and “Recht und Ethik” within Geomatics (FHNW School of Architecture, Construction and Geomatics). The virtual tutors have the “world knowledge” of GPT-4, but also the specific expertise of the technology philosopher and business information scientist from Zurich. It has been shown that the GPTs can provide certain impulses and loosen up the lessons. They show their particular strength in group work, where students no longer have to consult their lecturer’s books – which is hardly useful when there is a lot of time pressure – but can ask them specific questions. Last but not least, there are opportunities for self-regulated learning. The paper “How Can GenAI Foster Well-being in Self-regulated Learning?” by Stefanie Hauske and Oliver Bendel was published in May 2024 – it was submitted to the AAAI Spring Symposia in December 2023 and presented at Stanford University at the end of March 2024.
BY OLIVER BENDEL
