At a glance
Industry
Education
Location
North America
Challenge
Quickly develop a generative AI-enabled study tool to integrate into the edtech company’s flagship product and provide personalized learning experiences.
Success Highlights
- 10,000 daily active users
- 5% growth in sales during the back-to-school period when the study tutor was introduced
- 70% of students rate the study tutor as extremely useful
- 38% of students ask complex questions associated with critical thinking skills
- 4X more students using the AI tools remained or became active studiers compared to those who didn’t
Our approach
The development of the study tutor was exciting—and timeboxed. It required quickly mastering gen AI skill sets and readying the new educational tool for release during the prime back-to-school season.
Our team’s first step was to evaluate the gen AI solution’s feasibility. In keeping with the agile spirit of the hackathon, we quickly confirmed the study tutor’s commercial viability and identified the tools and resources needed to make it work.
Next, we moved to develop a minimum viable product (MVP). Because gen AI was new for everyone, the team took time to explore, understand and learn the large language models (LLMs). For example, a key feature of the solution is its content summarization. To ensure the summaries’ accuracy, the feature went through multiple review cycles with the content authoring teams, including review of the UAT.
After six months of the hackathon, the study tutor reached 95% accuracy. We developed a pilot for two titles and rolled it out to a small group of universities and students before expanding to a larger audience.
Among the solution’s most innovative aspects was the learning on the fly that it required. With the POC launching just weeks after OpenAI’s ChatGPT had exploded onto the technology scene, Cognizant and the client’s team collaborated to master generative AI skills quickly and develop the study tutor into one of the first products rolled out to the education market.
Business outcomes
The months of development resulted in a study tutor that’s a fully personalized tool. In addition to summarization and practice questions, students can opt for adaptive, individualized learning experiences. For example, they can request explanations based on selected content and embedded media such as images. The tool also supports voice-enabled interactions.
To gauge interest in applying gen AI to other projects, the company surveyed internal teams. The positive response paved the way for collaboration by the client and Cognizant on a gen AI platform that can be used for multiple projects. The platform enables the company to rapidly prototype and test gen AI solutions.
The project delivered big business benefits for the client. Today, it has 600-plus gen AI-enabled titles in the market, and the number of daily active users has grown to 10,000. The company’s sales grew 5% during the period in which the study tutor was introduced. After a North American rollout, the company is now expanding it to global titles.
Perhaps even more impressive is the company’s research into how students use the AI study tutor. For a specific science textbook, the analysis found that while most students use the gen AI tools for foundational learning, 38% ask cognitively complex questions associated with critical thinking skills. What’s more, students using the AI tools are four times as likely to remain or become active studiers compared to those who didn’t. 70% rate the study tutor as extremely useful.
By pioneering one of the first generative AI solutions in the education space, this edtech company secured a critical first-mover advantage. The rapid six-month development from hackathon concept to commercial product with 95% accuracy demonstrates the power of agile innovation. As the solution expands globally, it positions the company as an AI leader in education while creating a foundation for future AI-powered learning experiences that will continue transforming how students engage with course materials.
