Tutor CoPilot: A Human-AI Approach for Scaling Real-Time Expertise
Organizations: Stanford University
Abstract
Generative AI, particularly Language Models (LMs), has the potential to transform real-world domains with societal impact, particularly where access to experts is limited. For example, in education, training novice educators with expert guidance is important for effectiveness but expensive, creating significant barriers to improving education quality at scale. This challenge disproportionately harms students from under-served communities, who stand to gain the most from high-quality education. We introduce Tutor CoPilot, a novel Human-AI approach that leverages a model of expert thinking to provide expert-like guidance to tutors as they tutor. This study is the first randomized controlled trial of a Human-AI system in live tutoring, involving 900 tutors and 1,800 K-12 students from historically under-served communities. Following a preregistered analysis plan, we find that students working with tutors that have access to Tutor CoPilot are 4 percentage points (p.p.) more likely to master topics (p<0.01). Notably, students of lower-rated tutors experienced the greatest benefit, improving mastery by 9 p.p. We find that Tutor CoPilot costs only $20 per-tutor annually. We analyze 550,000+ messages using classifiers to identify pedagogical strategies, and find that tutors with access to Tutor CoPilot are more likely to use high-quality strategies to foster student understanding (e.g., asking guiding questions) and less likely to give away the answer to the student. Tutor interviews highlight how Tutor CoPilot's guidance helps tutors to respond to student needs, though they flag issues in Tutor CoPilot, such as generating suggestions that are not grade-level appropriate. Altogether, our study of Tutor CoPilot demonstrates how Human-AI systems can scale expertise in real-world domains, bridge gaps in skills and create a future where high-quality education is accessible to all students.
Figures & tables
| Panel A. Session outcomes | |||||
| Participation | Participation | Exit Tickets | Exit Tickets | Exit Tickets | |
| Points | Points Standardized | Attempted | Passed (Cond.) | Passed (Uncond.) | |
| Treatment | 0.094 | 0.010 | 0.019 + | 0.031 ∗ | 0.040 ∗∗ |
| (0.27) | (0.028) | (0.011) | (0.014) | (0.015) | |
| Control Mean | 14.071 | 0.016 | 0.843 | 0.732 | 0.617 |
| (0.196) | (0.020) | (0.008) | (0.010) | (0.010) | |
| Quality | Strategy Name | Definition | Examples | F1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | (Frequency) | |||
| High | Prompt Student | The tutor prompts the student | “Go ahead and try to explain | 0.89 |
| to Explain | to explain a concept, rule, or | how you got the answer.” | ||
| (3%) | their reasoning. | |||
| High | Ask Question | The tutor asks the student a | “What number can we multiply | 0.90 |
| to Guide Thinking | question to help them think | the number 10 to get an equal |
| Prompt Student to Explain | Ask Question to Guide Thinking | Affirm Student’s Correct Attempt | Ask Student to Retry | Give Away Answer/ Explanation | Give Solution Strategy | Encourage Student in Generic Way | |
| Treatment | 0.095 ∗∗ | 0.059 + | 0.033 | 0.022 | -0.049 | 0.0012 | -0.098 ∗∗∗ |
| (0.036) | (0.031) | (0.022) | (0.063) | (0.030) | (0.030) | (0.026) | |
| Romano-Wolf p-val | [0.010] | [0.020] | [0.158] | [0.871] | [0.129] | [0.990] | [0.010] |
| Z | 2.614 | 1.897 | 1.505 | 0.345 | -1.614 | 0.039 | -3.795 |
| Odds Ratio | 1.100 | 1.060 | 1.034 | 1.022 | 0.952 | 1.001 | 0.907 |
| N | 241005 | 241005 | 241005 | 241005 | 241005 | 241005 | 241005 |
Appendix figures & tables29 assets
Supplementary material from the paper’s appendix.
Appendix
| Dependent | EOY MAP Math Std (2022-23sy) |
|---|---|
| Exit Tickets Passed | 0.02*** |
| (0.002) | |
| BOY MAP Math Std (2022-23sy) | 0.87*** |
| (0.02) | |
| R 2 | 0.728 |
| N | 689 |
| Panel A. Elementary Schools | ||||
| Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Total | |
| Total | 676 | 1,828 | 357 | 2,861 |
| Panel B. Middle Schools | ||||
| Grade 6 | Grade 7 | Grade 8 | Total | |
| Total | 1,275 | 0 | 0 | 1,275 |
| Total | 4,136 | |||
| Mean | ||
| Panel A: Student Characteristics ( ) | ||
| Gender | ||
| Male | 0.46 | |
| Female | 0.46 | |
| Missing | 0.09 | |
| Race/Ethnicity | ||
| Moment (Frequency) | Definition | Examples | F1 |
| Start of session | The tutoring session is just starting. The | “Happy to work with you today!” | 0.79 |
| (0.9%) | student and tutor have not yet started a problem. | ||
| Start of problem | The tutor starts a new problem and/or gives | “Go ahead and start showing your | 0.70 |
| (3.2%) | instructions for the new problem. | work for this question.” | |
| During problem attempt | The student is attempting the problem and/or | “Are you working on this problem?” | 0.70 |
| (48.4%) | the tutor has not yet given away the answer |
| Dependent Variable | Used | Number of Uses |
|---|---|---|
| Gender (Is Female) | 0.015 | 1.36** |
| (0.03) | (0.51) | |
| Experience (Months) | -0.002+ | -0.031+ |
| (0.001) | (0.02) | |
| Quality Rating | 0.12 | 1.69 |
| (0.08) | (1.41) |
| Math MAP (std) With Imputation | Math MAP (std) Without Imputation | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prop of Treatment Sessions | -0.0044 | -0.0016 | -0.081 | -0.022 | -0.020 | -0.061 |
| (0.050) | (0.050) | (0.082) | (0.048) | (0.048) | (0.078) | |
| N Sessions Completed | 0.0097 | 0.0030 | 0.0053 | 0.0017 | ||
| (0.0071) | (0.0085) | (0.0064) | (0.0078) | |||
| 0.022 | 0.012 | |||||
| (0.018) | (0.017) | |||||
| Dependent | Do you agree or disagree | How confident are you | How effective are you at | How much more or less |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variable | with this statement: “My | at recognizing the kind | helping students fix their | effective are you at |
| students learn more by | of mathematical | mistakes? | helping students fix their | |
| making mistakes.”? | mistakes students are | mistakes now than you | ||
| making? | were three months ago? | |||
| Range | 1 = Disagree | 1 = Not at all confident | 1 = Not at all effective | 1 = A lot less effective |
| 2 = Somewhat disagree | 2 = Slightly confident | 2 = Slightly effective | 2 = Slightly less effective |
| Exit Tickets Attempted | Exit Tickets Passed Conditional | Exit Tickets Passed Unconditional | |
| Treatment | 0.17 + | 0.18 ∗ | 0.19 ∗∗ |
| (0.093) | (0.080) | (0.069) | |
| Romano-Wolf p-val | [0.030] | [0.030] | [0.010] |
| Z | 1.803 | 2.202 | 2.769 |
| Odds Ratio | 1.182 | 1.193 | 1.209 |
| N | 4105 | 3518 | 4133 |
| Exit Tickets Attempted | Exit Tickets Passed Conditional | Exit Tickets Passed Unconditional | |
| Treatment | 0.18 | 0.16 + | 0.21 ∗ |
| (0.14) | (0.093) | (0.096) | |
| Z | 1.231 | 1.769 | 2.203 |
| Odds Ratio | 1.195 | 1.179 | 1.236 |
| N | 4105 | 3518 | 4133 |
| Panel A. Session outcomes | |||||
| Participation Points . | Participation Points Standardized | Exit Tickets Attempted . | Exit Tickets Passed Conditional | Exit Tickets Passed Unconditional | |
| Treatment | -0.022 | -0.0013 | 0.017 | 0.028 + | 0.037 ∗ |
| (0.33) | (0.034) | (0.013) | (0.016) | (0.016) | |
| Control Mean | 14.035 | 0.012 | 0.842 | 0.733 | 0.617 |
| (0.234) | (0.024) | (0.009) | (0.011) | (0.011) | |
| N | 4136 | 4136 | 4136 | 3521 | 4136 |
| Exit Tickets Passed Unconditional | Exit Tickets Passed Unconditional | Exit Tickets Passed Unconditional | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Treatment | 0.0869 + | 0.204 ∗ | 0.00184 |
| (0.0449) | (0.0965) | (0.0346) | |
| Treat x Tutor Quality Rating (Cont) | -0.0891 | -0.392 | |
| (0.0747) | (0.299) | ||
| Treat x Tutor Experience (Cont) | -0.000395 | -0.00746 | |
| (0.00123) | (0.00924) |
| Prompt Student to Explain | Ask Question to Guide Thinking | Affirm Student’s Correct Attempt | Ask Student to Retry | Give Away Answer/ Explanation | Give Solution Strategy | Encourage Student in Generic Way | |
| Treatment | 0.12 ∗ | 0.039 | 0.038 | 0.12 | -0.039 | -0.0056 | -0.10 ∗ |
| (0.057) | (0.045) | (0.031) | (0.10) | (0.043) | (0.044) | (0.043) | |
| Z | 2.107 | 0.861 | 1.250 | 1.176 | -0.900 | -0.128 | -2.416 |
| Odds Ratio | 1.127 | 1.040 | 1.039 | 1.126 | 0.962 | 0.994 | 0.901 |
| N | 241005 | 241005 | 241005 | 241005 | 241005 | 241005 | 241005 |
| Prompt Student to Explain | Ask Question to Guide Thinking | Affirm Student’s Correct Attempt | Ask Student to Retry | Give Away Answer/ Explanation | Give Solution Strategy | Encourage Student in Generic Way | |
| Treatment | 0.19 ∗∗ | -0.087 | 0.12 ∗∗ | 0.18 + | 0.00095 | -0.00045 | -0.058 |
| (0.061) | (0.053) | (0.038) | (0.10) | (0.052) | (0.049) | (0.045) | |
| Romano-Wolf p-val | [0.010] | [0.356] | [0.010] | [0.228] | [1.000] | [1.000] | [0.723] |
| Z | 3.199 | -1.628 | 3.063 | 1.791 | 0.018 | -0.009 | -1.293 |
| Odds Ratio | 1.214 | 0.917 | 1.124 | 1.198 | 1.001 | 1.000 | 0.944 |
| N | 82952 | 82952 | 82952 | 82952 | 82952 | 82952 | 82952 |
| Prompt Student to Explain | Ask Question to Guide Thinking | Affirm Student’s Correct Attempt | Ask Student to Retry | Give Away Answer/ Explanation | Give Solution Strategy | Encourage Student in Generic Way | |
| Treatment | 0.10 + | 0.12 ∗ | -0.025 | -0.12 | -0.034 | 0.036 | -0.26 ∗∗∗ |
| (0.063) | (0.054) | (0.038) | (0.11) | (0.051) | (0.053) | (0.047) | |
| Romano-Wolf p-val | [0.317] | [0.020] | [1.000] | [0.911] | [1.000] | [1.000] | [0.010] |
| Z | 1.675 | 2.284 | -0.667 | -1.034 | -0.678 | 0.677 | -5.594 |
| Odds Ratio | 1.110 | 1.131 | 0.975 | 0.889 | 0.966 | 1.037 | 0.770 |
| N | 78358 | 78358 | 78358 | 78358 | 78358 | 78358 | 78358 |
| Prompt Student to Explain | Ask Question to Guide Thinking | Affirm Student’s Correct Attempt | Ask Student to Retry | Give Away Answer/ Explanation | Give Solution Strategy | Encourage Student in Generic Way | |
| Treatment | -0.015 | 0.14 ∗∗ | 0.012 | -0.057 | -0.11 ∗ | -0.039 | 0.029 |
| (0.065) | (0.053) | (0.038) | (0.11) | (0.055) | (0.053) | (0.042) | |
| Romano-Wolf p-val | [1.000] | [0.010] | [1.000] | [1.000] | [0.050] | [0.990] | [1.000] |
| Z | -0.236 | 2.740 | 0.316 | -0.493 | -2.018 | -0.749 | 0.697 |
| Odds Ratio | 0.985 | 1.156 | 1.012 | 0.945 | 0.895 | 0.961 | 1.030 |
| N | 79695 | 79695 | 79695 | 79695 | 79695 | 79695 | 79695 |
| Prompt Student to Explain | Ask Question to Guide Thinking | Affirm Student’s Correct Attempt | Ask Student to Retry | Give Away Answer/ Explanation | Give Solution Strategy | Encourage Student in Generic Way | |
| Treatment | -0.027 | 0.082 | 0.036 | 0.065 | -0.010 | 0.0023 | -0.13 ∗∗ |
| (0.063) | (0.053) | (0.036) | (0.11) | (0.050) | (0.049) | (0.041) | |
| Romano-Wolf p-val | [1.000] | [0.406] | [0.931] | [1.000] | [1.000] | [1.000] | [0.010] |
| Z | -0.436 | 1.565 | 0.980 | 0.578 | -0.202 | 0.047 | -3.079 |
| Odds Ratio | 0.973 | 1.086 | 1.036 | 1.067 | 0.990 | 1.002 | 0.882 |
| N | 88684 | 88684 | 88684 | 88684 | 88684 | 88684 | 88684 |
| Prompt Student to Explain | Ask Question to Guide Thinking | Affirm Student’s Correct Attempt | Ask Student to Retry | Give Away Answer/ Explanation | Give Solution Strategy | Encourage Student in Generic Way | |
| Treatment | 0.29 ∗∗∗ | 0.011 | 0.048 | -0.19 + | 0.021 | -0.012 | -0.16 ∗∗∗ |
| (0.062) | (0.055) | (0.038) | (0.11) | (0.055) | (0.052) | (0.046) | |
| Romano-Wolf p-val | [0.010] | [1.000] | [0.723] | [0.228] | [1.000] | [1.000] | [0.010] |
| Z | 4.636 | 0.208 | 1.271 | -1.791 | 0.389 | -0.221 | -3.558 |
| Odds Ratio | 1.331 | 1.012 | 1.049 | 0.827 | 1.022 | 0.988 | 0.851 |
| N | 78381 | 78381 | 78381 | 78381 | 78381 | 78381 | 78381 |
| Prompt Student to Explain | Ask Question to Guide Thinking | Affirm Student’s Correct Attempt | Ask Student to Retry | Give Away Answer/ Explanation | Give Solution Strategy | Encourage Student in Generic Way | |
| Treatment | 0.029 | 0.077 | 0.00064 | 0.20 + | -0.14 ∗∗ | 0.032 | 0.0052 |
| (0.064) | (0.053) | (0.040) | (0.11) | (0.054) | (0.053) | (0.047) | |
| Romano-Wolf p-val | [1.000] | [0.475] | [1.000] | [0.228] | [0.010] | [1.000] | [1.000] |
| Z | 0.454 | 1.464 | 0.016 | 1.795 | -2.587 | 0.610 | 0.110 |
| Odds Ratio | 1.029 | 1.081 | 1.001 | 1.216 | 0.870 | 1.033 | 1.005 |
| N | 73940 | 73940 | 73940 | 73940 | 73940 | 73940 | 73940 |
| Panel A. Session outcomes | |||||
| Dependent | Participation | Participation | Exit Ticket | Exit Ticket | Exit Ticket |
| Variable: | Points | Points | Attempted | Passed | Passed |
| (Standardized) | (Conditional) | (Unconditional) | |||
| Treatment Effect | 0.32 | 0.035 | 0.064 + | 0.10 ∗ | 0.14 ∗∗ |
| (0.93) | (0.095) | (0.037) | (0.047) | (0.050) | |
| Romano-Wolf p-val | [0.990] | [0.990] | [0.129] | [0.040] | [0.010] |
| Control (N=444) | Treatment (N=427) | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender (Is Female) | 0.56 | 0.53 | 0.27 |
| Experience (Months) | 21 | 22 | 0.61 |
| Quality Rating | 0.41 | 0.42 | 0.62 |
| Session Attrition | Survey Attrition | |
| Treatment | -0.013 | 0.0077 |
| (0.021) | (0.022) | |
| Tutor Quality Score | -0.021 | -0.088 |
| (0.056) | (0.063) | |
| Tutor Experience (Months) | -0.00034 | -0.0015 + |
| (0.00084) | (0.00086) |
| Control (N=394) | Treatment (N=386) | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender (Is Female) | 0.55 | 0.52 | 0.33 |
| Experience (Months) | 21 | 22 | 0.66 |
| Quality Rating | 0.41 | 0.42 | 0.61 |
| # Sessions during Study | 5 | 5 | 0.39 |
| Total Session Time during Study (Minutes) | 199 | 194 | 0.48 |
| Control (N=371) | Treatment (N=355) | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender (Is Female) | 0.55 | 0.53 | 0.57 |
| Experience (Months) | 21 | 22 | 0.45 |
| Quality Rating | 0.41 | 0.42 | 0.76 |
| # Sessions during Study | 5 | 5 | 0.77 |
| Total Session Time during Study (Minutes) | 202 | 201 | 0.91 |
| Ask Question to Guide Thinking | Give Solution Strategy | Prompt Student to Explain | Encourage Student in Generic Way | Affirm Student’s Correct Attempt | Give Away Answer/ Explanation | Ask Student to Retry | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ask Question to Guide Thinking | 0.04451 | 0.00005 | 0.00000 | 0.00007 | 0.00027 | 0.00076 | 0.00010 |
| Give Solution Strategy | 0.00005 | 0.00509 | 0.00000 | 0.00000 | 0.00005 | 0.00047 | 0.00004 |
| Prompt Student to Explain | 0.00000 | 0.00000 | 0.02545 | 0.00008 | 0.00023 | 0.00000 | 0.00017 |
| Encourage Student in Generic Way | 0.00007 | 0.00000 | 0.00008 | 0.11845 | 0.02031 | 0.00003 | 0.00033 |
| Affirm Student’s Correct Attempt | 0.00027 | 0.00005 | 0.00023 | 0.02031 | 0.13405 | 0.01412 | 0.00034 |
| Give Away Answer/Explanation | 0.00076 | 0.00047 | 0.00000 | 0.00003 | 0.01412 | 0.05917 | 0.00008 |