Neon lights glow through the science of excited atoms. When electricity passes through a sealed tube of neon gas, electrons jump to higher energy levels. As they return, they release energy as vibrant light, creating dazzling displays in cities worldwide.

Canvas Student AI Virtual Assistant

Project brief

The objective of the project is to re-imagine an app or website I use regularly. I will explore how generative AI can enhance the Canvas Student App to provide a more personalized, efficient, and innovative user experience. I will also implement design updates that incorporate generative AI features.

App Description and problem

The Canvas Student app is a helpful tool for students and teachers to access course content such as lectures, assignments, quizzes, and grades on the go. Its main function is to track the student’s grades, assignments, and classes. Teachers have the freedom to organize their classes anyway they want; Sometimes it can have a vast amount of content, and other times it could be disorganized. Either way it becomes overwhelming and tedious for the student when using the mobile app. The app has limited amount of screen real estate to display content efficiently making it feel swamped with text and pictures. On top of that, some users have shown to have a hard time learning new material and staying disciplined with due dates. It can also be very time consuming when searching for certain materials covered in class or upcoming assignments. It is also not very inclusive towards visual and auditory learners.

Impact analysis

With a generative AI assistant, the user can ask to find a file or certain lecture that they are looking for. They can also learn certain concepts in meaningful ways with explanations and practice provided by the AI. If a user has a question or is stuck on a topic, the AI will provide explanations and helpful information to help the user figure out the answer. This will help students learn in meaningful ways by providing the help and support they may lack in the real world. Students will start to feel comfortable with the app and won’t feel overwhelmed with its current user interface. Users will also be on top of deadlines with generative plans to complete their work on time. Many students learn in different ways ranging from auditory to visual, and the Canvas Student AI Assistant will generate videos, summaries, and images for each individual to create a meaningful learning experience.