LOCAL WINNER
Beginner Awards: Disruptive technology
ALIRA
Solution details
Our project, ALIRA (Your Interactive AI Lesson Assistant)
is an AI-based tool that helps students with special needs
by improving their learning experience. By tracking
lessons through recording, ALIRA uses AI models to
generate speech to text including visuals with additional
options to adapt them in case the student has a special
needs. Besides that, students are also able to access
videos of lessons recorded by professors and ask
questions there, which would be answered by the AI
model itself.
By connecting a recording device to the application, the
the application would translate text-to-speech in real-time
and generate a script for the lesson using AI models,
which students could access through their computers or
phones and later download.
This application would also help teachers by keeping
track on their student's attendance and progress during
classes and providing them with detailed output.
The MVP of this application would consist of generating
teachers can connect a recording device to the
application that would generate text-to-speech for
students with an option of adapting a script based on
their needs. Students would also be able to watch the
lessons live.
The 2nd stage of development would include students
asking questions and getting answers from the AI itself.
The 3rd and final stage would consist of teachers getting
detailed input about their student's attendance and
progress through their lessons. For this stage to be
successful, it would require lessons to be recorded from
both angles including teachers and students.
The success of this application could be measured in the
great numbers of students and teachers worldwide are using
this adds as an assistance when it comes to the whole
process of studying.
Tweet / Slogan
ALIRA aims to transform the classroom experience for students with learning disabilities and other challenges that hinder their ability to stay fully engaged and take notes throughout the class by offering a unique, accessible, and AI-driven solution.
Resources
This project builds upon research exploring AI's potential to enhance education, particularly in inclusive classrooms, and address challenges faced by students with diverse needs and abilities.
Context
Students with learning difficulties often struggle to fully engage in the classroom environment, where many of them may suffer from motor impairments, visual or hearing disabilities, or cognitive and neurological disorders. Traditional teaching methods rarely accommodate their unique needs, leaving significant gaps in terms of learning, participation, and accessibility. These students frequently miss crucial parts of their lessons, cannot engage actively, or cannot take their own notes, further hindering their educational progress.
Teachers also face difficulties managing diverse classroom dynamics while addressing individual student needs. This dual challenge impacts the overall classroom experience and limits opportunities for personalized support and growth.
Our mission is to bridge this gap by introducing an inclusive, Al-powered solution that empowers both students and teachers. ALIRA ensures equal learning opportunities, making education accessible to all.
Who Benefits?
Our solution is designed for schools with students who have special needs, including those with motor, visual, hearing, cognitive, or neurological challenges. ALIRA will be used by students and teachers in these schools to create a more inclusive and effective learning environment.
Benefits for Students:
- Students with disabilities gain access to personalized learning support, helping them engage actively in class and overcome barriers to participation.
- ALIRA provides real-time assistance, generates comprehensive lesson notes, and allows students to ask follow-up questions anytime, fostering independent learning and confidence.
Benefits for Teachers:
- ALIRA provides detailed feedback on each student's progress, helping educators understand their unique needs and adjust their teaching strategies accordingly.
- This feedback empowers teachers to create more effective and tailored learning plans, ensuring every student can achieve their full potential.
Impact
ALIRA's solution creates a more inclusive and accessible education system, empowering students with special needs to engage fully in their learning process. By providing real-time support and personalized learning, ALIRA ensures that no student is left behind, fostering equal opportunities for all.
For Students: The impact is measured by improved engagement and learning outcomes. By tracking their interaction with ALIRA, we can assess progress in understanding lessons, participation, and the ability to ask questions and seek help independently.
For Teachers: The impact is measured by how well educators can address individual student needs. ALIRA's feedback system enables teachers to personalize their approach based on each student's progress and challenges, improving overall classroom effectiveness.
Broader Impact: ALIRA contributes to inclusive education, and driving positive societal change towards equity in education.
Team work
In the short term, we plan to develop the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) of our solution, which integrates hardware and software to transform the classroom experience. Positioned on the teacher's desk, the device records lessons, converts speech to text, and generates a live transcript that is available via the companion app, accessible to both students and teachers. In the short term, the Al will be able to analyze class content, and generate notes. The app is used like a digital library, containing all class materials.
In the second stage, we will enhance the Al model to be able to answer follow-up questions even after the lesson has ended. The Ul of the app will be completely personalized to each student.
The third stage will focus on providing teachers with detailed insights into student progress and learning style. It will provide additional feedback about most common mistakes, or areas that students understand the least.
Innovativeness
ALIRA is an innovative solution integrating hardware and software to transform the classroom experience. Positioned on the teacher's desk, the device records lessons, converts speech to text, and generates a live transcript. ALIRA's Al learns from the class content and provides personalized support, accessible to both students and teachers via an app.
While speech-to-text tools like Google Speech-to-Text and Otter.ai, text analysis tools like Grammarly, and Al-powered tutors like Squirrel Al exist, ALIRA is the first to fully integrate these technologies directly into classrooms. It offers real-time transcription, Al-powered learning, and personalized student assistance all in one platform. This innovative approach ensures students with learning challenges have the resources they need to thrive.
ALIRA goes beyond simple assistive technology. ALIRA has the power to reshape the future of education, making it universally accessible and equitably transformative for all.
Transferability
ALIRA's flexible, Al-driven platform can be applied beyond the classroom for a wide range of educational contexts. Initially designed to support students with learning challenges, its core technologies transcription, speech-to-text, and Al-powered personalized assistance - can be used in various settings. For example, ALIRA could be applied to:
- Higher education: Facilitating access to lectures for all students, enhancing participation, and offering real-time learning support.
- Corporate training: Providing on-demand, personalized assistance for employees in training programs.
- Language learning: Helping students with real-time transcriptions, speech recognition, and pronunciation feedback.
- Online education: Enhancing virtual classrooms with real-time transcription, live notes, and Al-powered tutoring.
This broad applicability ensures that ALIRA can benefit various fields, making learning more accessible to all.
Sustainability
The implementation of ALIRA will begin with pilot programs in schools that serve students with learning challenges. This will allow us to gather data, refine our technology, and address the needs of both students and teachers. In the mid-term, we plan to scale ALIRA to a broader range of schools, including urban and rural areas, by partnering with educational institutions and local governments. We will continuously improve the platform based on feedback from teachers, students, and administrators.
In the long term, ALIRA's impact will extend to mainstream classrooms, creating a more inclusive learning environment. We also plan to expand its applications to sectors like corporate training and language learning. Continuous development and a sustainable business model, including subscriptions for schools, partnerships with edtech companies, and grants, will ensure ALIRA remains a valuable tool in education, driving lasting change for students worldwide.