What if students could access a patient tutor at any time – even at three in the morning before an exam – who knows exactly what has been covered in the lectures, both in writing and in speech, and to whom they can ask a ‘really stupid’ question without feeling embarrassed? A tutor who offers tips and suggestions for exercises and knows what the lecturer is particularly looking for in the exam?
At the NXT Faculty of Sustainability and Technology at Reutlingen University, this vision is currently becoming a reality: since the summer term of 2026, a trial of the experimental prototype of the heyprof.app has been running in selected courses – a state-of-the-art AI-supported teaching and learning platform developed by Prof. Dr Dirk Schieborn and Prof. Dr Volker Reichenberger as part of a private research project.
Alle Lernmaterialien – ein KI-Tutor
The platform brings together all the teaching and learning materials for a course in one central location: PDFs, lecture notes, presentations, handwritten and digital board notes, interactive visualisation apps, as well as practice exercises and mock exams.
What makes it special is that audio recordings of the lecturer’s spoken content during the lecture are also processed. At its heart is an AI tutor that accesses all this content and, at the students’ request and depending on their level of knowledge, presents it in a way that is sometimes as simple as an explanation for a five-year-old and sometimes in a textbook style, whilst helping students to consolidate their understanding through dialogue. It’s on hand when individual terms are unclear, patiently clarifies cryptic sections from the blackboard notes or lecture notes, and offers tips and suggestions for assignments – without giving away the solution itself. In short: it’s the super-smart buddy we’d all quite like to have by our side sometimes – but not just ‘another ChatGPT’, rather a tutor who knows all the lecture content as well as the professor’s teaching style. And on top of that, it’s patient and friendly – and even tongue-in-cheek, if desired.
KI konsequent integriert
„Our aim is to explore, through a private research project, how we might develop an inviting digital world that provides an attractive, state-of-the-art platform for teaching content. One that caters entirely to each student’s individual needs, whilst allaying any fears about complex subject matter. From the laid-back mate to the artistic type who likes to express themselves through images, right through to the slightly exasperated big brother who’d actually rather be at the gym – students receive the kind of address they’re looking for at that moment. In doing so, we are guided by the principle of consistently integrating state-of-the-art AI technology – and, in particular, its core ability to tailor content to the individual.“
– Prof. Dr. Volker Reichenberger, Prof. Dr. Dirk Schieborn, Reutlingen University
