Seminar on Generative AI for Education
Saarland University — Summer Semester 2024
The course will provide an overview of state-of-the-art research on leveraging generative AI to enhance education. We will cover research papers and topics based on a recent NeurIPS'23 workshop we organized (workshop link: https://gaied.org/neurips2023/). The course consists of three main components as follows: (i) research papers, (ii) project, and (iii) final presentation. Each component carries one-third of the final score. Further details about the course structure and logistics are provided below.

Organizers

Timeline and updates

  • Until 17 April 2024: Register for the seminar course at https://seminars.cs.uni-saarland.de.
  • 30 April 2024: Paper assignments for reading and writing reports are finalized by this date. The list of papers is provided below and split into three batches (Batch-A, Batch-B, and Batch-C). You can pick any two papers in a batch for writing reports, i.e., reports for a total of 6 papers.
  • 30 April 2024: We have a new mailing list for the course. To reach out to organizers/tutors, you should send an email to gaied-s24-tutors@mpi-sws.org (instead of contacting via individual emails).
  • Until 20 May 2024: After being allocated a slot in the seminar, you need to register for the seminar course examination in the LSF at Saarland University. You must register for the seminar course examination by 20 May 2024; this is also the deadline to withdraw by emailing us. If the LSF registration is not possible for you (e.g., as a visiting student), you can confirm your participation by directly emailing us.
  • 13 May 2024: Reports for Batch-A papers are due. You can pick any two papers in this batch for writing reports.
  • 27 May 2024: Reports for Batch-B papers are due. You can pick any two papers in this batch for writing reports.
  • 10 June 2024: Reports for Batch-C papers are due. You can pick any two papers in this batch for writing reports.
  • 17 June 2024: Project proposals are due by this date.
  • 24 June 2024: Project details will be finalized by this date.
  • 19 Aug 2024: Project report and material are due.
  • Between 26 Aug to 20 Sep 2024: Final presentations will take place. The exact dates will be finalized in discussion with enrolled students. Slides will be due before the presentation date.

Course structure

The course consists of three main components as follows: (i) research papers, (ii) project, and (iii) final presentation. Each component carries one-third of the final score. There will be no weekly classes. You can reach out to us anytime by sending an email to gaied-s24-tutors@mpi-sws.org. When needed, the tutors will arrange specific meeting times during the semester — further information will be communicated to students via emails as we move along in the semester.

Reading research papers and writing reports

  • Each student has to write reports for a total of 6 papers. The list of papers is provided below and split into three batches (Batch-A, Batch-B, and Batch-C). You can pick any two papers in a batch for writing reports.
  • For each of the picked papers, you will have to write a two-page report. The timeline for report submissions is listed above.
  • Each report should be submitted as a PDF file by sending an email to gaied-s24-tutors@mpi-sws.org. You should name your PDF files as lastname_paper#.pdf (e.g., lastname_paper2.pdf, lastname_paper49.pdf, and so on).
  • Reports should be written in LaTeX using NeurIPS style files.
  • In case you are unfamiliar with writing reports in LaTeX, we recommend using Overleaf (an online LaTeX editor).
  • Structure the report into three sections as follows:
    • In the first section, write down a review of the paper, including a short summary of the paper, a discussion on how the paper extends state of the art, and the main strengths of the paper.
    • In the second section, write down the main weaknesses of the paper and discuss how this paper could be improved.
    • In the third section, write down your ideas on how you would like to extend the techniques and results in the paper. If you wish, you could also use these ideas to pursue as part of your project.
  • These reports will correspond to one-third of the final score.

Project

  • The project will be centered around the seminar theme of generative AI for education. Students will have the freedom to pursue a project of their choice. To begin, each student will submit project proposals; the timeline for proposal submissions is listed above. The project could be related to the seminar papers, or it could also be new directions you are most excited about.
  • Based on your project proposals and discussions with tutors, a concrete project will be picked.
  • You will have to submit a project report and related material (e.g., code, app, or survey). Each student will work on the project separately (no teams).
  • The project will correspond to one-third of the final score.

Presentations

  • You will have to prepare a presentation of 20 mins. Your presentation will be based on the project, along with any relevant papers related to your project.
  • At the end of the semester, you will give a final presentation. We will block two days of time for the presentations. The exact dates will be finalized in discussion with enrolled students.
  • The slides and presentation will correspond to one-third of the final score.

List of research papers

Batch-A

Reports for Batch-A papers are due on 13 May 2024. You can pick any two out of the papers in this batch for writing reports. Please download the PDF files from the specific links provided above to avoid confusion about different versions.

Batch-B

Reports for Batch-B papers are due on 27 May 2024. You can pick any two out of the papers in this batch for writing reports. Please download the PDF files from the specific links provided above to avoid confusion about different versions.

Batch-C

Reports for Batch-C papers are due on 10 June 2024. You can pick any two out of the papers in this batch for writing reports. Please download the PDF files from the specific links provided above to avoid confusion about different versions.


Imprint / Data Protection