On April 16, 2026, the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) successfully hosted the twelfth lecture of its "Beyond Boundaries" T&L Lecture Series. The event featured Dr. Lianbi ZHU, Associate Professor from the Department of History at Fudan University, who shared her experience in training and applying an AI teaching assistant chatbot in her general education courses.

Dr. Lianbi ZHU speaking at the lecture

Dr. ZHU began by outlining the motivation behind developing her AI teaching assistant chatbot. Designed to guide undergraduate students from various majors in academic paper writing, the chatbot provides support by accessing system prompts and a carefully designed knowledge base. This approach supports student learning without replacing critical thinking or directly generating complete academic content.

Participants listened to the lecture attentively

During the lecture, Dr. ZHU elaborated on the chatbot's working scenarios, training process, application results, and her reflections. She stressed that the core value of an AI teaching assistant is to support rather than replace instructors and to facilitate personalized learning. Through live demonstrations and case studies, she illustrated how the AI assistant aids students in literature review, thesis structuring, logical refinement, and addressing common challenges in academic writing.

Q&A session

The Q&A session fostered lively and insightful exchanges. Participants raised questions concerning chatbot training techniques, data reliability, academic integrity, evaluation standards, and future improvements. Attendees expressed that the lecture provided highly valuable insights and practical methods for effectively and responsibly integrating AI technology into teaching practices.

Dr. Vivien Wai Wan CHAN presented a souvenir to Dr. Lianbi ZHU

To conclude the event, CTL director, Dr. Vivien Wai Wan CHAN presented Dr. Lianbi ZHU with a selection of exquisite campus-themed gifts.

Group photo of attendees and Dr. ZHU

This lecture not only showcased innovative applications of cutting-edge AI technology in higher education but also provided BNBU faculty with a valuable reference for exploring new teaching models and enhancing teaching quality. CTL remains committed to the student-centered educational philosophy, continuing to introduce advanced pedagogical ideas and practices. It will strive to build a broad platform for faculty professional development and teaching innovation, contributing to BNBU’s high-quality educational development.