Advancing AI in Higher Ed with UD Study AiDE

Overview

UDIT Academic Technology Services is advancing the use of artificial intelligence in higher education with UD Study AiDE, an application that transforms faculty lecture recordings and course materials into AI-generated, faculty-reviewed learning objects. These learning objects act as personalized study tools that extend learning beyond the classroom, providing students with contextually rich, instructor-aligned resources tailored to their specific courses.

Our application represents more than just a technological innovation—it’s a strategic response to the challenges posed by commercially available generative AI tools. By utilizing foundation models and carefully processed institutional content, we aim to provide students with a reliable, contextually-rich learning companion that reflects the high academic standards of the University of Delaware.

Development

To build the application, the project team is using foundation models through Amazon Web Services’ Bedrock, along with other AI tools. With full faculty participation and opt-in consent, they are leveraging two decades of video content from the university’s proprietary lecture capture system, as well as other faculty-created materials. The result will be a private, internal application integrated with the Canvas Learning Management System, designed for student access.

Impact

This project represents a pioneering step in responsible AI adoption within higher education. By embedding generative AI into an academic framework, UD is addressing key concerns such as AI hallucinations, data privacy, and ethical AI use. Our faculty-reviewed approach mitigates risks associated with commercial AI tools while expanding student access to high-quality, personalized learning experiences. This initiative not only enhances student engagement at UD but also serves as a model for integrating AI into higher education responsibly and effectively.

Our Story

This recorded session, hosted by Academic Technology Services and supported by partners at Amazon Web Services, takes you behind the scenes of UD Study AiDE — from a spark of an idea to a fully functional, ethically grounded AI-powered learning tool.

You’ll hear directly from the engineers, designers, faculty, and administrators who shaped the project, and see how thoughtful experimentation, campus collaboration, and a shared vision helped bring it to life. It’s not just a technical walkthrough — it’s the story of how innovation happens in higher ed.

Whether you’re a technologist, educator, or simply curious about the future of AI in teaching and learning, we invite you to watch, reflect, and imagine what’s possible at your own institution.

UD Study AiDE: Making Headlines

Hitting the (AI) Books

UD staff help Blue Hens navigate the AI landscape

How AI Can Optimize Academic Programming and Student Support

Academics and advocacy leaders say the next couple of years could offer exponential developments, but departmental application is key.

Inside Higher Ed

Success Program Launch: AI-Powered Study Tools for Students

How one university is embracing AI for study tools, instead of fearing it

UDel’s Study AiDE tech transforms decades of lectures into useful flashcards and materials.

Delaware Public Media

The University of Delaware is using AI to transform thousands of lectures into digital study tools.

AWS Coffee Talk

Generative AI for education

UD Study AiDE Timeline

The Study AiDE project has progressed through key development phases, each building toward a scalable and user-friendly personalized study tool. The timeline below highlights major milestones from ideation to implementation in UD classrooms.

Click this image for an accessible list.

Ethical Guidelines

This ethical structure helps to ensure that the technology we create and deploy aligns with the University of Delaware’s values of promoting innovation, fostering diversity and inclusion, and upholding the highest standards of academic integrity.  Advisory support for this project is provided by the AI for Teaching and Learning Working Group, among other university partners.

AI Innovation at the University of Delaware

Advisory support for this project is provided by the AI for Teaching and Learning Working Group, among other university partners.

This project directly aligns with the University’s Strategic Pillar of Expanding Student Access & Success and supports the charge from the Provost to develop “practices that harness the power of AI for teaching and learning while maintaining our commitments to academic integrity in the production and dissemination of knowledge.”

Have questions about our AI-powered learning platform?

Submit our general inquiry form and our team will be happy to provide more information.

Submit Interest/Inquiries Here

Interested in participating?

Fill out our faculty participation form to learn how your course materials can become interactive study resources for students.

Submit Faculty Participation Here

Could we help shape this emerging technology by becoming an example of a thoughtfully designed and auditable AI project? We didn’t just want to build it first — we wanted to build it right.

-Nova Harris, Lead Software Engineer