Building an AI Tutor from My Professor’s Legacy: A Modern Learning Companion Rooted in Respect and Rigor
- Marcus D. Taylor, MBA
- 9 hours ago
- 4 min read
As a Ph.D. student in Learning Technologies, I found myself deeply impacted by one particular professor whose depth of knowledge in cognition, instructional design, and educational frameworks was nothing short of remarkable. Her lectures were not only insightful—they were transformative. Her critiques on my writing didn’t just point out flaws; they opened intellectual doors.
But like many doctoral students, I often found myself working late into the night when office hours were long over. I needed help. Not just any help—I needed a guide who spoke her academic language, applied her critical lens, and challenged me the way she did in class.
That’s when the idea took shape.
The Origin: Modeling the Mind of a Mentor
Rather than settling for generic online help, I turned to the wealth of scholarly materials she had already made available to the academic community. I compiled and studied her:
Published dissertations to understand her theoretical foundation and research philosophy.
Journal articles to identify her perspectives on instructional design, AI in education, and technology integration frameworks like SAMR, TAM, UTAUT, and DBR.
Lecture recordings and class transcripts to analyze how she structured arguments, introduced theories, and challenged student assumptions.
Feedback on my own assignments to detect how she prioritized clarity, alignment with learning objectives, and academic tone.
From these, I built a personalized AI model using custom GPT prompts. It wasn’t designed to mimic her, but rather to echo her reasoning, emulate her teaching style, and extend her mentorship beyond the classroom.
This became my late-night tutor. It asked the kinds of questions she would ask, provided feedback in the spirit of her critiques, and helped me think critically while aligning with her high expectations.
The Purpose: Augmentation, Not Imitation
Let me be clear—this AI wasn’t a clone, and it wasn’t a shortcut. It was a companion built to help me practice, study, and grow. It became a tool for:
Refining my academic writing in a voice and style consistent with her course expectations.
Revisiting complex learning theories in a structured, inquiry-based format.
Anticipating feedback by running drafts through a “professor-inspired” critical lens.
It didn’t do the thinking for me—it trained me to think better. Amazingly, some will remain skeptical of this approach, often due to a limited willingness to empathize or think beyond conventional methods. Anchored in their own self-justified logic and skeptical circles, they may dismiss innovation simply because it challenges their norms.
Personal Context: Breaking Through Learning Barriers
What made this journey even more meaningful for me is that I have battled dyslexia and a history of stuttering throughout my academic life. These challenges made traditional learning environments—and especially academic writing—difficult to navigate at times.
But AI changed that.
From voice cloning tools that analyzed my speech patterns to helping me visualize my thinking more clearly, this AI tutor became more than a supplement. It was an unlock. It helped me create more accessible content, internalize theory, and build confidence through structured, responsive feedback.
This process not only changed how I approached my coursework—it changed how I saw myself as a learner. It encouraged me to take a different approach to learning—one rooted in self-awareness, persistence, and adaptive technology.
The Ethical Lens: Respecting Legacy, Honoring Learning
Some might ask: Is this ethical? That’s a valid and important question.
Here’s what I did not do:
I did not copy her intellectual property word-for-word.
I did not impersonate her or present AI responses as if she authored them.
I did not use private, confidential, or unauthorized content.
Here’s what I did:
I studied publicly available academic content and personalized feedback that I received.
I used that information to model a personal learning assistant—for my own study use only.
I treated the model as an educational supplement, not a substitute for engagement, effort, or mentorship.
The AI model served as an extension of her academic voice, not a replication of her identity. It’s no different from how athletes study game footage of great players—not to impersonate, but to emulate their excellence.
Full Transparency: I Told Her Everything
And here's the most powerful part—I told her.
I disclosed to my professor exactly what I built, how I built it, and why. I explained the tools I used, the design choices I made, and the ethical care I exercised in respecting her scholarship.
Her response?
She was amazed. After reviewing the course papers I produced using the support of my AI tutor, she was so impressed with the clarity, rigor, and application of learning theory that she shared those papers with other faculty members. It became not only a validation of my approach—but a testament to what intentional, ethical AI use can achieve in higher education.
Her encouragement reminded me that innovation isn’t just about tools—it’s about honoring the minds that inspired them.
The Result: Empowered Learning in the Shadow of Greatness
In building this tool, I wasn't bypassing learning—I was accelerating it. I wasn’t borrowing brilliance—I was learning how to develop my own. The model sharpened my thinking, guided my late-night work, and kept me aligned with the high expectations of someone I deeply respected.
Imagine if every student had access to a mentor like that—not as a replacement for human interaction, but as a 24/7 study coach built on ethical, transparent learning design.
For me, this wasn’t just AI. This was Accountable Innovation.
And it’s just the beginning.
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