Herzen University Researcher Develops AI Assistant for First-Year Students
Associate Professor Mikhail Streltsov of the Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia has introduced an AI assistant designed to help first-year students.
The agent helps students complete paperwork, access class schedules, and find academic literature.
According to Streltsov, the agent must not invent deadlines, office locations, or payment amounts. If the required information is not available in the documents, it tells students which university department to contact. The assistant covers a range of administrative and student services, including applications for campus access cards and student ID cards, dormitory accommodation, certificates, military registration, health-related matters, access to the university’s digital learning environment, and scholarship information.
In tests involving four scenarios, the version equipped with the specialized skill passed all 19 automated checks. Without the skill, the system achieved an average success rate of 70%. Average response time also fell from 59 to 36 seconds. The team describes these results as preliminary. The next stage will involve further development of the prototype and adapting it to support students throughout their studies.
