Professor Stahulyak’s ‘Comparative Literature’ Lecture Let’s provide class notes, presentation materials, etc. It took three months to produce the material. “In-depth discussion with students”
![Image and digital textbook cover drawn by AI based on lecture information of UCLA professor Zrinka Stahulyak [UCLA]](https://usercontent.one/wp/www.techregister.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/UCLA-will-use-artificial-intelligence-AI-class-materials-for-humanities.jpg?media=1730400616)
UCLA will use artificial intelligence (AI) class materials for humanities classes for the first time.
According to TechCrunch and UCLA’s announcement on the 8th (local time), UCLA will use AI-made materials for classes in comparative literature courses in the 2025 winter semester.
Comparative literature is the study of literature that encompasses many languages and cultures. It mainly compares and analyzes literary works across countries, languages, and times, and explores how literature interacts with other fields such as history and philosophy.
Zrinka Stahuljac, a professor of European language and ultra-cultural research at UCLA, will use teaching materials created by AI platform Kudu in the class “An Overview of Literature from the Middle Ages to the 17th Century.” This course covers the analysis of literary works from the Middle Ages to the 17th century, including Dante’s new song, Cervantes’ Don Quixote, and Shakespeare’s King Lear.
Kudu is an AI-based education platform developed by the training team of Alexander Kusenko, professor of physics at the same university. It specializes in creating and managing educational materials and assisting in learning.
When a professor uploads lecture materials to Kudu, AI creates an ‘e-book’ textbook based on this. Students can also download it or print it out and view it. Kudu can also reduce the work of professors and assistants by automatically scoring assignments submitted by students. It is also possible to analyze learning data to evaluate students’ academic level and provide personalized feedback.
Professors can take real-time quizzes using Kudu during lectures, which can evaluate students’ understanding. When students enter questions related to lecture materials, AI can answer them instead and suggest appropriate references.
Kudo can be used on various devices such as PCs, tablets, and smartphones, and it also includes an audio reader function that reads text for blind students.
Professor Stahulyak put lecture notes, PowerPoint presentations, and YouTube videos related to classes in Kudu to make class materials, and Kudu created an e-book based on the materials. Usually, it takes three to four months to make class textbooks, and the time was greatly shortened to 20 hours using Kudu.
“Kudu, developed by a research team of physics professors and mainly used in science lectures, was introduced to humanities courses for the first time, and the scope of use of AI platforms has expanded,” UCLA explained.
Professor Stahulyak said, “Kudu will be able to conduct more in-depth discussions with students during lectures and promote students’ critical thinking. As assistants will be able to spend more time on students’ writing tasks, they will be able to strengthen their guidance on individual students even in large-scale lectures.”
