aiPlato: A Novel AI Tutoring and Step-wise Feedback System for Physics Homework

TL;DR

This study explores the deployment of aiPlato, an AI tutoring system providing step-wise feedback in physics homework, showing that higher engagement correlates with better exam performance and highlighting its potential for supporting open-ended problem solving.

Contribution

It introduces aiPlato as an AI-enabled homework platform that offers iterative, formative feedback, demonstrating its feasibility and impact in a real classroom setting.

Findings

Higher engagement with aiPlato correlates with improved final exam scores.

Students primarily used iterative feedback rather than solution-revealing tools.

Feasibility of integrating AI-mediated feedback into physics homework is demonstrated.

Abstract

This exploratory study examines the classroom deployment of aiPlato, an AI-enabled homework platform, in a large introductory physics course at the University of Texas at Arlington. Designed to support open-ended problem solving, aiPlato provides step-wise feedback and iterative guidance through tools such as "Evaluate My Work" and "AI Tutor Chat", while preserving opportunities for productive struggle. Over four optional extra-credit assignments, the platform captured detailed student interaction data, which were analyzed alongside course performance and end-of-semester survey responses. We examine how students engaged with different feedback tools, whether engagement patterns were associated with performance on the cumulative final exam, and how students perceived the platform's usability and learning value. Students who engaged more frequently with aiPlato tended to achieve higher final exam scores, with a mean difference corresponding to a standardized effect size of approximately 0.81 between high and low engagement groups after controlling for prior academic performance. Usage patterns and survey responses indicate that students primarily relied on iterative, formative feedback rather than solution-revealing assistance. As a quasi-experimental pilot study, these findings do not establish causality and may reflect self-selection effects. Nonetheless, the results demonstrate the feasibility of integrating AI-mediated, step-wise feedback into authentic physics homework and motivate future controlled studies of AI-assisted tutoring systems.