Syracuse University Introduced Its New AI Platform for Teaching and Learning
- Syracuse University has introduced its new AI platform, MentorAI, which allows instructors to create AI tutors without requiring prompt-engineering expertise.
- The platform generates an agent that can answer student questions, surface key points, or embed directly into Blackboard after uploading a syllabus, slide deck, or MP4 lecture.
- Syracuse University owns the data and code for MentorAI, paying by the API call rather than per-seat license, making it a cost-effective solution with no premium license required.
- The university can mix and match models from various sources, including OpenAI GPT-4, Google Gemini, or open-source Llama, allowing them to adopt newer models as they mature.
- The platform also features the Blackboard AI Design Assistant, which suggests quiz items, assignments, and rubrics while still maintaining instructor control, according to Michael Morrison.
IBL News | New York
Syracuse University, this month, during the forum “AI at Work,” presented its AI platform developed in collaboration with ibl.ai, the parent company of this news service.
At the center is MentorAI, a platform run entirely inside Syracuse’s cloud tenancies.
Andrew Joncas, Leader, Architect, and Technology Evangelist, at Syracuse University, explained, “Creating an AI tutor no longer requires prompt-engineering expertise. Instructors upload a syllabus, slide deck, or even an MP4 lecture; Mentor AI generates an agent that can answer student questions, surface key points, or embed directly in Blackboard.”
Syracuse University owns data and code and pays by the API call rather than per-seat license; therefore, there’s no premium license, and administrators can mix and match models — from OpenAI GPT-4o to Google Gemini or open-source Llama. This approach also allows the university to adopt newer models as they mature.
The same event highlighted the Blackboard AI Design Assistant, where AI suggests quiz items, assignments, and rubrics, as Michael Morrison stressed, the instructor remains in charge.