2023/07/25 by Matelsky, Jordan K., Parodi, Felipe, Liu, Tony +2 · 1 citation
#Artificial Intelligence (cs.AI) #Computers and Society (cs.CY) #FOS: Computer and information sciences
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2308.02439
Open-ended questions are a favored tool among instructors for assessing student understanding and encouraging critical exploration of course material. Providing feedback for such responses is a time-consuming task that can lead to overwhelmed instructors and decreased feedback quality. Many instructors resort to simpler question formats, like multiple-choice questions, which provide immediate feedback but at the expense of personalized and insightful comments. Here, we present a tool that uses large language models (LLMs), guided by instructor-defined criteria, to automate responses to open-ended questions. Our tool delivers rapid personalized feedback, enabling students to quickly test their knowledge and identify areas for improvement. We provide open-source reference implementations both as a web application and as a Jupyter Notebook widget that can be used with instructional coding or math notebooks. With instructor guidance, LLMs hold promise to enhance student learning outcomes and elevate instructional methodologies.