AI in eClass
AI Features
With the upgrade to Moodle 5.1, eClass has some exciting AI enhancements coming! Read below for what will be available this May and what’s already in eClass for instructors and students now.
Note: The data provided to all AI features in eClass is neither shared nor used to train third-party models—all data remains with York University, and all information remains private.
Coming soon! AI Accessibility Fixer
The AI Accessibility Fixer is available to all users in the eClass text editor. This handy tool references Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and can help identify and fix issues in your content to make it more accessible to all users. Check if the accessibility icon is red before you post! If so, the fixer tool will tell you how to improve the accessibility of your text and can make the changes for you. Watch the icon turn green when there are no further suggestions.
Coming soon! AI Generate Text
Instructors can use the AI generate text button within the text editor in eClass to brainstorm ideas or draft content to add to their course. This feature is only available for instructors’ use (it is not accessible to students), and instructors must first choose to enable AI tools in their course to see this option.
💡 Use Generate Text to quickly brainstorm examples, scenarios, or discussion topics for students
💡 Use Generate Text to create templates or supplementary exercises for students
Coming soon! AI Summarize
Where enabled by instructors, the AI summarize feature is available to both instructors and students. This tool generates a short summary of the text within an activity or resource.
💡 Use Summarize to condense content for slides or notes
💡 Students: use Summarize to quickly review content when studying
Coming soon! AI Explain
Where enabled by instructors, the AI Explain feature provides both instructors and students with further information and context on content within an activity or resource.
💡Use Explain to explore more ways to describe concepts to learners
💡Students: use Explain to gain more context or get ideas for further research
AI Settings
The new AI Generate Text, Summarize, and Explain features are controlled by instructors at the course level and activity level.
Course Settings
At the course level, instructors choose whether to allow AI tools in the course. If set to No, AI Generate Text, Summarize, and Explain will be disabled across the course. If set to Yes, these AI tools can be toggled in each activity’s settings.
Activity Settings
When AI tools are enabled in the course, AI Generate Text, Summarize, and Explain can then be individually controlled for each activity. Note that these tools are set to On by default for all activities once AI tools are enabled in the course and the generate text tool is only accessible to instructors and not visible to students even when set to On.
AI Tools Available Now
AI Course Assistant
The AI Course Assistant is a block with two tools: the AI Course Assistant and an AI Learning Companion. By uploading documents such as your syllabus and course Q&A and selecting course materials in eClass, the AI Course Assistant becomes your trained, interactive assistant that can help answer questions about your course. Alongside that is the AI Learning Companion, a helpful tool that can act as a tutor for students to discuss or be quizzed on course material.
Both the AI Course Assistant and Learning Companion are hidden from students by default and must be set up by the instructor before being shown.
For more information on how to use these in your course, check out AI Tools for Instructors and AI Tools for Students.
SAVY
SAVY is an AI virtual assistant that is extensively trained on material about York University. Chat with SAVY directly in eClass to quickly find resources and get answers about the York experience.
