DotBot

The world is facing a teacher shortage, with a need for 44 million new primary and secondary teachers by 2030. This includes replacing more than half of the existing teachers leaving the profession, and meeting seven out of ten teachers at the secondary level. The shortage is global, occurring in both high- and low-income contexts. Sub-Saharan Africa is especially affected, with an estimated need for 15 million new teachers by 2030. In the United States, according to a 2022 report by the National Education Association, 52% of public schools reported difficulty hiring qualified teachers. The shortage is particularly acute in certain subject areas, such as special education, math, and science. 

This scarcity is not just a number: It is a crisis undermining educational systems globally. The effect of a worldwide teacher shortage is profound, leading to larger class sizes, overburdened educators, educational disparities, and financial strain on educational systems. It is crucial to understand the profound impact this shortage has on educational quality and access.

The impact of a great educator can change the trajectory of an individual and provide a lifelong path to success. There are multiple paths to working on solving the teacher shortage and one includes the power of technology. 

Nothing replaces the power of an educator but with the development of artificial intelligence (AI) there are options to use in support of learning.

The DotBot specifically addresses the problem of teacher shortage utlizing the power of AI. 

The Dot Bot is an AI-powered educational chatbot designed for browser-based learning, offering personalized and skill-specific support in the classroom by harnessing the capabilities of AI and backed by teacher expertise. The bot is driven using AI but is browser based. In addition, the bot can be trained by an individual teacher or a more generic bot can be used in the classroom. 

There are three main interactions to the bot:

1) The interface for the students, which is the browser user interface (UI)

2) The teacher interface. This is is where the teacher will login in to customize, add content, and add voice recordings to train their bot. They will be able to load content including questions and explanations. 

3) The backend is powered by Snowflake architecture. The extensive Snowflake platform will grow as the usage and personalization grows with each bot persona. 

Example of UI Prototype

The DotBot is specifically targeted to middle school grades and to areas where the teacher shortage is at the highest level. In many of underserved areas, the teacher shortage is extreme and the ones that are there are over worked. With the support of DotBot, teachers can extend their reach by utilizing the bot to add in content as a support. Meaning, teachers can still do a lesson for all and then divide students in to small groups and the use their customized DotBot as a part of the learning rotations. The students are then still learning from their teacher but through the AI technology. In our research with students, they like to use technology to learn but are more invested when it is driven by an educator they know. The core reason for the DotBot is to provide the teacher the opportunity to build capacity while still having the personal touch. The bot does not replace them but gives them the chance to teach and also support. 

This bot can be implemented across platforms and will use technology as truly a teaching tool with the content being driven by the expertise of the teacher. 

This fact sheet breaks down state by state the issues in the United States. 

Fact Sheet

My team has an average 30 years in the education space. We are a collective of academic teachers, administrators, and content specialists. In addition, Dr. Jones has spent over 20 years teaching the integration of technology into the classroom and using as a true learning tool. We currently work in schools across the United States and with organizations globally to support the integration of learning and technology. We see the need everyday for students to have access to meaningful learning but are lacking the educators or the understanding of HOW to use technology for learning and not consumption. We have an extensive network of education entities, professionals, and students. 

We have an initial build of the DotBot and are close to being ready for the testing phase. We are currently bootstrapping the funding so we are slow and steady. 

Solve would be a game changer for us. It would provide financial, technical and market support we need to get this fully developed. We know how we want to build the bot to provide true impact, we just need help! We know with the right guidance and support we can truly create something special that can impact the lives of students while also bringing support to teachers. 

The DotBot’s journey begins by empowering middle school math teachers and their students, but our vision extends far beyond. We aspire to become a comprehensive AI assistant, supporting all teachers, subjects, and age groups in their pursuit of educational excellence. While our vision is expansive, its initial focus on middle school math is strategic. Here's why: Math forms the foundation of many scientific and technological disciplines. Equipping students with a strong foundation in math during their middle school years is crucial for their future academic and professional success. Middle schools often face challenges finding qualified math teachers, particularly in underserved communities. The DotBot acts as a valuable resource, alleviating some of the pressure on educators and providing additional support for students. Math anxiety is a common issue among students. The DotBot's personalized approach can help students overcome these anxieties by providing targeted interventions, fostering a sense of accomplishment, and making learning math more engaging.

The DotBot starts by empowering middle school math teachers and their students. Our long-term vision? A comprehensive AI assistant for all teachers, subjects, and age groups. We believe The DotBot will significantly boost test scores and improve well-being for everyone involved in the learning process.

The education landscape is undergoing a significant transformation. Traditional one-size-fits-all methods struggle to keep pace with the evolving needs of diverse learners and the demands of the 21st century. The DotBot emerges as a powerful answer, leveraging the synergy between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and human expertise to personalize and enhance learning experiences across a broad spectrum. This journey begins by empowering middle school math teachers and their students, but The DotBot's vision extends far beyond. It aspires to become a comprehensive AI assistant, supporting all teachers, subjects, and age groups in their pursuit of educational excellence.

Providing a valuable solution to the teacher shortage across the globe

Increased student engagement and interest in learning math skills and beyond

The DotBot's vision extends far beyond. It aspires to become a comprehensive AI assistant, supporting all teachers, subjects, and age groups in their pursuit of educational excellence.

Provide a personalized and reliable learning experience for students while also giving the teacher an opportunity to truly teach and use their expertise

In iteration 2, be able to use the bot without an Internet connection to create true sustainability

The DotBot is a combination of Snowflake architecture (Machine learning and AI data platform) base and web based design tools. 

Snowpark Container Services (SPCS) is a fully managed container offering designed to facilitate the deployment, management, and scaling of containerized applications within the Snowflake ecosystem. 

SPCS enables the Dot to deploy all the underlying ingredients (data retrieval, LLM, front-end chat, etc.) of the chatbot chain entirely in Snowflake as manageable services.  In crafting the ideal chat experience for students, the teacher’s teaching style became a top priority.

 An architecture using Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) was constructed to mitigate LLM hallucinations by ensuring the answers provided were relevant to the given topics taught by the teacher.  

This architecture can be used leveraging Snowflake’s cortex functions or with custom fine-tuned LLMs in SPCS which could give an even more personalized experience.  Under the hood, a vector database determines what may be relevant to a student’s question. 

Memory tracks the conversation history for not only the chat context but also so teachers can go back and see the questions students are asking.  T

The content from the teacher’s lessons is passed as context to the LLM to help generate a response in the way the teacher would answer the student’s question.

2 Full Time

1 Part Time

2 Contractors

1 Year 

Ensuring diversity, minimizing barriers to opportunity, and fostering inclusivity are fundamental pillars of our team culture. We proactively cultivate a diverse workforce by implementing inclusive recruitment practices that reach a broad spectrum of talent. Our policies prioritize equal opportunities, and we continually assess and refine our practices to remove obstacles and create a level playing field for all staff. 

The DotBot's vision is expansive, its initial focus on middle school math is strategic. Here's why:

Critical Skills Development: Math forms the foundation of many scientific and technological disciplines. Equipping students with a strong foundation in math during their middle school years is crucial for their future academic and professional success.

Teacher Shortage and Resource Constraints: Middle schools often face challenges finding qualified math teachers, particularly in underserved communities. The DotBot acts as a valuable resource, alleviating some of the pressure on educators and providing additional support for students.

Building Confidence and Interest: Math anxiety is a common issue among students. The DotBot's personalized approach can help students overcome these anxieties by providing targeted interventions, fostering a sense of accomplishment, and making learning more engaging.

The DotBot's vision is not limited to middle school math. It aspires to become a comprehensive AI assistant, catering to a diverse range of subjects and age groups:

Science: Science education plays a fundamental role in preparing students for the demands of the 21st century. The DotBot can support science teachers by providing interactive simulations, personalized practice problems, and real-time feedback on assignments.

Language Arts: The DotBot can assist language arts teachers by providing AI-powered grammar and writing checkers, offering personalized feedback on essays, and facilitating interactive vocabulary learning activities.

History and Social Studies: The DotBot can enhance learning in these subjects by creating personalized timelines, offering interactive simulations of historical events, and providing students with opportunities to practice critical thinking and analysis skills.

Boosting Test Scores and Well-being: A Holistic Approach

The DotBot's mission goes beyond simply raising test scores. It aims to improve the overall well-being of everyone involved in the learning process. Here's how:

Personalized Learning: By tailoring its approach to individual needs and learning styles, The DotBot empowers students to grasp concepts more effectively, fostering a sense of accomplishment and boosting confidence.

Empowered Educators: By providing data-driven insights and streamlining instruction, The DotBot allows educators to focus on complex topics, personalized guidance, and building relationships with students. This leads to a more fulfilling and less stressful teaching experience.

Improved Student Engagement: The DotBot's interactive features and gamified learning elements make learning more engaging and enjoyable for students. This increased engagement fosters a love for learning and motivates students to take ownership of their education.

Looking Ahead: Continuous Innovation and Development

Our revenue model will be a subscription based model with the fees being paid by the participating school and access allowed to every teacher and student.  Our potential is...

• If we capture 1% of the 97,568 public schools in the US at a $2500 fee per school year per school equals a revenue of $2.44 million. 

• If we capture 10% of the NC public 744 middle schools in the US at a $2500 fee per school year per school equals a revenue of $193,500.

• If we are able to have 20 corporate sponsors, we can reach over 3000 students in underdeveloped companies by providing the computers and connection to the DotBot

We will diversity how our financial through a variety of avenues including: direct sales, government sales, grants, and corporate funding. The market is diverse for education and there are multiple avenues to ensure continued success.