COLOMBUS, Ohio — Many educators are still working on how to incorporate artificial intelligence into their classrooms, but one Ohio professor is accepting it and rethinking how learning can occur in the process.
Vince Castillo, an assistant professor of logistics at Fisher College of Business, has adopted an innovative approach to education. Rather than banning tools like ChatGpt, Castillo is building its own AI system to engage students, personalize instruction and reconstruct the learning experience of what they call the “golden age of AI.”
“We wanted to police the use and not prevent it from entering the classroom, but rather have an open dialogue about how students are using it. [AI]what they see and how they see it from their perspective as a Gen Z student. That way you can learn both the limitations of technology, but what are the opportunities too,” Catillo said.
Castillo uses what is called “Supply Chain Brutus,” a custom-built chatbot that gives you access to his own textbooks and course materials. Unlike a typical chatbot, Brutus uses a method called Search extension generation– Allow students to refer to specific chapters in Castillo's textbooks before responding.
“The AI they communicate with has all the educational content in my class,” he explained. “So it's very unique. They get a tailored response that they can't actually participate in ChatGpt.”
Students can interact with Brutus to get help with challenges such as building an interactive supply chain map. This tool not only generates answers, but also quotes the chapters it is drawn out, allowing students to link to source material to review them themselves.
“At the bottom, you'll find these quotes. Chapters 2, 3. That's proof that you're actually going to my textbook,” Castillo said. “You can also click on a reference, pulling out specific chapters and sections.”
Beyond functionality, Castillo prioritized privacy. Unlike public tools like ChatGpt, which store user conversations, supply chain brutus operates within a closed, secure environment.
“It's a private website. My students need to access it with a password,” explained Castillo. “Brutus is built using some of the local infrastructure we have and contracts with other web technology companies that guarantee data privacy.”
Despite AI being integrated into instruction, Castillo is careful to draw grading, where it is most important.
“I'm very careful to make sure they know their grades are coming from me. It's giving grades, not supply chain brutus or another AI,” he said. “That's the moment when we lose the plot.”
“The AI won't leave anytime soon,” Castillo said. “So we have to find a way to live with it. How do we get the most meaningful learning experience with artificial intelligence?”
