24/7 answers. Happier students. Less routine TA load.
Jean is a Penn-built AI assistant that answers course questions in Ed Discussion using Penn Engineering’s courses. Every answer is reviewed and approved by TAs.
Jean is Penn Engineering Online’s in-house AI learning assistant, designed to give students fast, accurate answers right in Ed Discussion. It uses a course’s Canvas materials, GPT 4o, and RAG technology to provide tailored guidance on logistics, lecture content, and homework instructions. Every response is reviewed and approved by TAs to ensure accuracy and clarity. Jean has been successfully piloted, tested, and refined over the past 3 semesters, and is now available in all Penn Engineering Online courses.
Hear from students and Professor Chris Callison-Burch as they share their first-hand experiences with Jean and the impact it has made in their courses.
“Jean combines the best of AI-driven automation with the human touch of expert instructors” -Chris Callison-Burch, Professor in Computer and Information Science and Director of the online Master of Science in Engineering in Artificial Intelligence (MSE-AI Online) degree program.
“Jean combines the best of AI-driven automation with the human touch of expert instructors.”
“I was shocked by the quality and usefulness of Jean’s responses! ”
“Having Jean was pure upside; we had all the benefits of the usual course experience with an extra boost from Jean.”
“The main benefit of Jean is being able to get an immediate response. The vast majority of the time TAs are very timely with their responses (usually within a few hours) but I have had a few occasions of waiting more than 24 hours for a response from a TA.”
“Jean is trained on the course material so it’s answers on Ed are very instantaneous and effortless at my end. If I were to use other LLM tools, I’d need to upload material like the course syllabus, HW instructions, etc. which is additional work at my end. So thank you for creating Jean :)”
FAQ
Why the name “Jean”?
We named our AI chatbot “Jean” in honor of Jean Bartik, one of the original programmers of the ENIAC, the world’s first general-purpose electronic computer. A trailblazer in the field of computing, Bartik was a University of Pennsylvania graduate who played a pivotal role in the early development of software programming during a time when the field was just beginning to take shape. Her work laid the foundation for modern computing and helped transform the potential of machines to process and solve complex problems. Naming our AI bot after her felt especially fitting, as it symbolizes the enduring legacy of innovation at Penn and reflects our commitment to using cutting-edge technology to support the evolving landscape of online education.
Can I use Jean in my course?
Jean is currently being integrated into all courses across Penn Engineering Online to enhance student support and engagement. The Learning Design and Technology (LDT) team is excited to partner with faculty who are interested in customizing Jean for their specific courses. If you’d like to explore how Jean can support your students or have any questions about implementation, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at LDT@seas.upenn.edu. We’d be happy to set up a meeting to discuss how Jean can best serve your course goals.
How is Jean different than asking a standard LLM?
Jean’s answers will be more relevant than asking an LLM directly because they will be referencing the exact content students are learning. Additionally, unlike other LLMs, each bot is uniquely customized to comply with Penn Engineering policy and reflect the specific needs and style of each course.
Is Jean restricted to a specific model?
All courses currently using Jean are set up to have GPT-4o as the LLM provider. We do have the ability to adjust the provider on a course-to-course basis if a different model is preferred.
How have students reacted to Jean’s support?
Our Jean student satisfaction survey showed that the majority of students find Jean accurate (4.1/5), clear (4.4/5), and ethical or trustworthy. Students commented that Jean’s strengths are its instant responses and specialized course knowledge.
How is Jean integrated into Ed Discussion
In most courses, Jean’s responses are immediately visible to students as comments within Ed Discussion. Our TA teams are committed to reviewing these responses for accuracy and clarity within 24 hours. If a response is found to be inaccurate or to contain excessive information, the TA will hide it. Otherwise, TAs will endorse high-quality responses with a blue ribbon and provide supplementary information in their answer.
