AI Features in Digital Learning Tools

Canvas Smart Search is a feature preview meaning it is currently in development.

Leverages semantic algorithms and AI, Canvas Smart Search understands the context of queries, providing more accurate and relevant results without the need for Boolean operators or other search tools​. Write search queries using keywords, questions, sentences, or whatever is most natural for you to describe what you are trying to find.​ Searchable items currently include content pages, announcements, discussion prompts, and assignment descriptions, with plans to expand.​

Canvas Smart Search feature relies on an AI-adjacent technology called “embeddings.”  It currently uses the Cohere Embed Multilingual model hosted on AWS. Check out the Canvas Smart Search Knowledge Article to learn more!

Honorlock integrates AI to enhance the proctoring experience for online exams. Key features of Honorlock’s AI integration include: 

1. AI-Driven Behavior Monitoring: The AI monitors test-takers for suspicious behavior such as the use of cell phones, speech detection, and attempts to navigate away from the exam window. It can automatically detect and flag potential academic misconduct without needing continuous human oversight. 
2. Real-Time ID Verification: The AI verifies the identity of the test-taker by comparing a provided ID with live webcam footage, enhancing security before the exam begins. 
3. Cell Phone Detection: Honorlock’s AI can detect when a test-taker attempts to access information through another device like a smartphone, even if it’s off-screen. 

These AI features help automate the exam monitoring process while ensuring academic integrity with minimal disruptions to the test-taking experience. 

Check out the Honorlock Knowledge Article to learn more about Honorlock!

Zoom’s AI Companion (formerly Zoom IQ) can generate summaries of meetings in real-time, highlighting key points and action items. The summaries can be shared via Zoom Team Chat or email, and hosts can edit or delete the summaries after the meeting ends.

Additional key features include:

• Language Support: ​It supports multiple languages, allowing users from different regions to benefit from AI-driven meeting recaps.​
• Requestable Summaries: ​Participants in a meeting can request that a summary be started if it hasn’t been enabled by the host, ensuring flexibility and inclusion.​
• Seamless Integration: ​AI Companion works across Zoom’s platform, from meetings to team chats, helping to draft messages, create smart chapters in cloud recordings, and even generate next steps.​

Check out Zoom’s AI Companion Knowledge Article to learn more on using the AI feature.

Padlet made some major AI upgrades that create a safe and inclusive community space for AI-integrated learning. Here are four ways that you can use Padlet’s new AI features to create a community of AI learners:

• AI Recipes:​ Padlet provides predefined templates for generating content such as discussion boards, lesson plans, rubrics, and class activities.​

• Brainstorming:​ The AI can also help with generating lists of ideas for brainstorming sessions. For example, you can ask it to come up with classroom activities or themes for discussions.​

• Custom Board Creation: ​Users can generate a custom Padlet by providing a description or prompt. The AI interprets the prompt to create content like lists, timelines, or maps. ​

• AI Image Generation: ​The “I can’t draw” feature allows users to describe an image, which the AI then generates. This is particularly useful for users who need visuals but lack artistic skills.​

There are three main AI features that Perusall uses to enhance the learning experience. These features are automatic scoring, suggesting discussion prompts, and confusion report.

Automatic Scoring: AI is used to automatically grade student comments and questions based on their thoughtfulness and effort. This feature provides suggested quality scores, which instructors can review and either accept or override. 

• AI-Generated Discussion Prompts: Instructors can highlight sections of the text, and the AI will suggest relevant discussion prompts to engage students. These prompts are fully customizable by the instructor before being presented to the class. 
• Confusion Reports: AI generates a “confusion report” that groups student questions into themes and highlights key areas of confusion. This helps instructors address common issues and plan their lessons more effectively, particularly in large classes. 

These AI-driven tools help streamline the teaching process and ensure that instructors can focus on meaningful interactions with students, rather than administrative tasks. Check out the Perusall Knowledge Article to learn more about using Perusall in Canvas.

Turnitin has added an AI Writing Indicator to the Similarity Report. This indicator shows an overall percentage of the document that AI writing tools, such as ChatGPT, may have generated. The indicator further links to a report which highlights the text segments that their model predicts were written by AI. This feature is only available to instructors and administrators. Here are the keyways Turnitin uses AI to detect AI-generated content in student submissions:

• Language Support: Currently, Turnitin’s AI detection focuses on English and Spanish submissions. The model may misidentify some content, so human judgment is necessary when reviewing flagged content. 

• AI Writing Detection: Turnitin’s AI detection model can identify text that might have been generated by AI tools, like ChatGPT, or paraphrased using AI-driven paraphrasing tools. It highlights these sections in the submission, categorizing them as either “AI-generated” or “AI-paraphrased.” This helps educators easily identify potential academic misconduct. 

• Integrated Reports: The AI detection feature is integrated into Turnitin’s Similarity Report, providing a seamless user experience for instructors. The system assigns an AI-generated percentage for the document, and educators can see a visual breakdown of where AI-generated or paraphrased text occurs. 

• Accuracy Measures: Turnitin has measures to avoid false positives. For example, AI detection reports do not highlight text if the detection percentage is below 20% to reduce the chance of inaccurately flagging human-written text as AI-generated. 

These AI features are aimed at upholding academic integrity by helping educators detect AI-written content while integrating easily into their grading workflows. Check out the Turnitin AI Writing Detection Knowledge Article for more information.

LinkedIn Learning’s innovative AI -powered coaching empower employees to accelerate their skill development through highly personalized learning experiences. LinkedIn Learning’s chatbot can answer learner’s questions in real-time, referencing the entire LinkedIn Learning library of resources to provide expert-informed answers and links to relevant courses and additional information. A learner can ask the chatbot a specific question about some aspect of a skill they’re struggling with and the chatbot will respond immediately with advice and recommendations. Check out LinkedIn’s AI-powered Coaching page for more information.

Overleaf has integrated several AI-powered features to enhance the writing and editing experience. Key features of Overleaf’s AI integration include:

• Integration with Papers: This premium feature will make it easier for users to search for, import, and cite references in Overleaf. 

• Error Assist: Now it’s easier for Overleaf users to resolve errors in their Overleaf projects with Error Assist. This AI-powered tool is designed to help you quickly identify, understand, and resolve LaTeX coding errors in your projects. Error Assist simplifies the debugging process by providing explanations and suggested fixes for LaTeX coding errors, enabling you to focus more on writing and less on debugging.