Today’s students are increasingly using swiftly advancing technologies such as generative AI, and at Clarivate we believe it’s a priority to help them learn how to use these technologies responsibly. Alethea, our innovative content engagement solution, flips the script on the misuse of AI tools, so rather than depend on a machine to do their work for them, students can harness its power to improve their learning and critical thinking skills.  

Alethea doesn’t provide ready-made answers – it nurtures meaningful engagement with academic texts, class readings, and assignments through personalized and adaptive guidance, so students can evaluate these materials and learn how to draw their own, informed conclusions.  

What does this look like?  

Dr. Tracy Elliott, Professor and Library Dean at Florida Gulf Coast University, explains: “Alethea gives us that extra tool to help students be independent learners. They’re much more purposeful. The fact is, anyone can learn from reading, they just need to learn how to do it — and that’s what Alethea has shown us.” 

Dr. Elliott points out that successful student outcomes with the assistance of Alethea aren’t just theoretical – she has witnessed significant improvements in her own classes. “These were students that had been struggling and with the help of Alethea in my fall course, everybody got an A because they all earned it. It was phenomenal.” 

How does Alethea work?  

Used as a teaching assistant, Alethea is available to support students outside of the classroom – anywhere and anytime they need help. For example, when a student is assigned three questions to answer based on a reading assignment, they may have difficulty understanding the text. The Alethea Academic Coach will lead them through questions and prompts so they can distill their own takeaways and generate answers using the student’s words. 

Not only is Alethea coaching the student to complete their assignment – Alethea is also helping the student to gain confidence in their ability to understand and analyze complex concepts so they can be better prepared to engage in class discussions and dive into future readings. The vital research and learning skills students develop throughout this process will serve them throughout their entire academic journey and drive successful outcomes.  

Alethea’s key features: 

• Chat-based interaction
  Students get the support they need, but the chatbot doesn’t do the work for them. Alethea’s pedagogic approach pushes students to think deeper and work smarter as they go through their readings.

• Generative AI
  Alethea combines cutting-edge technology with sound academic principles. It’s about promoting critical, systematic, and reflective thinking among students, while providing necessary support in an encouraging environment.
• Reading assignments
  Text-centered tasks facilitate meaningful engagement with the course materials and promote vibrant, engaged, and well-informed class discussions. 

Learn more about Alethea and AI development at Ex Libris 

Visit the Alethea webpage to watch a video about Dr. Elliott’s experiences, read the full Florida Gulf Coast University case study, learn more about this tool, or contact us to set up a demonstration.  

This article is the sixth in our series on AI developments at Ex Libris. Last month we explored AI metadata generation for digital library collections.  

Academic libraries are vital for accessing trustworthy scholarly material. Download this whitepaper to learn how new methods and technologies, like Generative AI, can enhance the library’s discovery experience and align it with dynamic user expectations.