AI learning buddy from IU International University of Applied Sciences awarded several prizes
Learning innovation "Syntea" receives awards for its contribution to AI-supported and personalised education
• AI learning buddy Syntea revolutionises higher education at Germany's largest university.
• German Mittelstand e.V. presents the AI solution with the GM Innovation Award 2024.
• The Global EdTech Award 2024 honours Syntea in the "Best AI Integration" category.
AI learning buddy “Syntea”, developed by IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU), demonstrates how artificial intelligence (AI) can take education to a whole new level. It has been in use as a personal learning assistant in almost all IU online courses since mid-2023 and makes learning more effective, faster and sustainable. The advanced use of AI technologies and the significant contribution that Syntea makes to the personalisation and democratisation of education have received both national and international recognition, as demonstrated by two recent awards: German Mittelstand e.V. presented the AI solution with the GM Innovation Award 2024 in Munich on 8 July, and a few days earlier, IU received the British Global EdTech Award 2024 for Syntea in the category for “Best AI Integration”.
"Syntea is a significant step in our mission to make education more accessible and personalised. Through the meaningful use of cutting-edge AI, we can offer our students a personalised learning experience that was not possible in higher education before," says Dr Sven Schütt, CEO of IU. "The awards are a real honour for us and reaffirm our commitment to transforming the educational landscape through innovative approaches to technology and learning and preparing people worldwide for the demands of the new AI age."
The success of Syntea is based on the intensive collaboration between education experts, AI professionals and technology developers at IU, led by Quintus Stierstorfer, Director Synthetic Teaching. Syntea uses the latest technical language models and is constantly being further developed. Students benefit from an interactive, dialogue-based and dynamic learning environment that supports them on their way to a successful university degree.
In recent years, IU has established itself as a leading institution in the integration of technology in the education sector. With a wide range of online degree programmes, a strong focus on digital learning methods and most recently, the founding of the IU Copilot School featuring Microsoft, IU has revolutionised the education market and is setting new standards for the future of learning.
About the awards
The Global EdTech Awards recognise the world's leading EdTech companies, products and projects for their contribution to digital education. IU received the award for the best AI integration. The award ceremony took place on 20 June 2024 in London.
The GM Innovation Award is presented by the German Mittelstand e.V. to inspiring innovations by entrepreneurs. Among other things, the degree of innovation, the willingness to take risks and the economic, ecological and social impact are taken into account in the assessment. The award ceremony took place as part of the GM Summer Summit '24 on 8 July 2024 in Munich.
About Syntea
Syntea is an AI-supported learning buddy developed by IU International University of Applied Sciences specifically for the needs of its students. It supports students individually in achieving their learning goals by adapting to their learning pace and rhythm, continuously tracking their learning progress and helping to identify and close knowledge gaps.
Syntea offers four main functions: Firstly, Syntea identifies students' strengths and weaknesses. Secondly, students can get reliable answers to specialised questions about specific courses around the clock. Thirdly, students can prepare specifically for exams and receive personalised feedback directly. Finally, Syntea maintains an interactive dialogue with the student and constantly asks new questions, which continue until the subject matter is fully understood.
However, Syntea offers more than just AI capabilities: As a mixture of tutor and mentor, this personalised avatar adapts to the individual preferences of the learner. In the future, it will be possible to control Syntea by voice command.
Further information on Syntea can be found at: https://www.iu.de/en/syntea/
ABOUT IU INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES
With over 130,000 students, IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU) is the largest university in Germany. The private, state-recognised educational institution with its headquarters in Erfurt began operations in 2000 and is now represented in more than 35 German cities. Students from over 190 nations design their studies according to their needs: whether practice-integrated dual studies, flexible distance learning or individual “myStudium”, which combines online self-study and campus life. IU wants to give people worldwide access to personalised education for a fulfilled and self-determined life. In more than 250 bachelor's, master's and MBA programmes, including over 50 in English, IU teaches students key skills relevant to the future. A digitally supported learning environment and the use of AI solutions help students to achieve optimal learning results and experiences. IU is one of the first universities in the world to have developed and deployed its own AI-supported learning buddy. IU cooperates with over 15,000 companies and supports them in the academic training of professionals. Partners include Motel One, Vodafone, AWO and Deutsche Bahn. Further information at: iu.org
The AI-supported learning buddy "Syntea" is now available as a public demo version in the ChatGPT store at the following link: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-P5olqoCPc-syntea
Weitere Informationen:
https://www.iu.de/en/syntea/
https://edtechawardsglobal.com/
https://german-mittelstand.network/de/InnovationSummer/