THE SCIENCE FACULTY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN INVITES YOU TO THE 2026 SEMINAR SERIES

This seminar series is organised by the Science Faculty Research Committee.
Everyone interested is welcome to attend.

Speaker
Prof. Ioannis Th. Famelis
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Faculty of Engineering
University of West Attica, Athens

Title
Using generative AI assistants to support students in the thesis process and mathematical courses

Abstract

This talk presents ongoing experimentation with generative AI assistants to support students at key stages of their studies. The first part describes a specialised assistant that guides students through the diploma thesis process, from topic exploration to supervisor matching and interpretation of institutional regulations. The design and evaluation of this assistant form the core of a diploma thesis project. The second part reports on the use of AI assistants in mathematics courses (Discrete Mathematics and Linear Algebra) to support problem comprehension, proof-strategy scaffolding, and formative feedback, with particular attention to transparency and academic integrity. If time permits, the talk will conclude with two examples of giving AI assistants more agentic capabilities by connecting them to reliable external information sources.

Speaker Biography

Ioannis Th. Famelis is Professor of Applied Mathematics in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Polytechnic School, University of West Attica, and tutor at the Hellenic Open University. He holds a BSc (Athens, 1991), MSc (Dundee, 1992), and PhD (NTUA, 1998) in computational mathematics (Numerical Analysis of ODEs). His research focuses on numerical analysis, differential equations, symbolic computation, computational intelligence, mathematical software in teaching, and (recently) AI/LLM applications in math education. He has coordinated national research projects, participated in European programs, is a MicroSENSES research lab member, authored three math books, and referees for international journals. He has taught mathematics and computer science courses at various higher education institutions and ten years in secondary education.