United KingdomEducation2023 – ongoing

University of Leeds

Blackboard Learn Ultra AI Design Assistant

A Leeds lecturer reported reducing a potential day's work to minutes with Blackboard's AI Design Assistant

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Problem

Growing demands for online teaching increased course-production work. Leeds wanted instructors to spend more time with students.

Approach

Leeds helped Anthology and Microsoft develop and test the AI Design Assistant. It enabled the tool when it launched in September 2023. The Azure OpenAI-powered assistant suggested course structures and assessment materials.

Results

No published figures

Takeaway

The Leeds result was an individual lecturer's account. Anthology's broader instructor survey did not establish a Leeds-wide saving.

Sources

The Fabulous Four of Modern Learning: How the University of Leeds, Anthology, Microsoft, and AI Combined to Help and Inspire Instructors
Anthology2024Vendor publication

Source summaries

[1]Anthology2024

Anthology described Leeds's involvement in development and its immediate rollout. Law lecturer Steven Montagu-Cairns said the assistant reduced a task that might have taken a full day to a few minutes.

Full details are in the original sources.

Added 1 Nov 2026 · Updated 1 Nov 2026