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Design+

ARTICLE
Development and evaluation of the Da Vinci AI

Tutor: Enhancing accessibility and personalized
learning in art history education

James Hutson * and Tiffani Barner 2
1
1 Art History, AI, and Visual Culture, College of Arts and Humanities, Lindenwood University, Saint
Charles, Missouri, United States of America
2 Game Design, College of Arts and Humanities, Lindenwood University, Saint Charles, Missouri,
United States of America

Abstract

This study examines the implementation of the Da Vinci AI Tutor, an innovative
artificial intelligence (AI)-based tutoring platform designed specifically for enhancing
personalized and accessible learning in art history within higher education. Launched
in Fall 2024 at a private liberal arts institution in the Midwest, the system integrates a
conversational AI avatar modeled after Leonardo da Vinci, incorporating immersive
virtual reality environments and multimodal interaction capabilities to engage
students across undergraduate survey courses, advanced Renaissance classes,
*Corresponding author: and graduate comprehensive exam preparations. Addressing significant gaps in
James Hutson existing humanities education research, the current study explores two primary
(jhutson@lindenwood.edu) research questions: (i) How AI-driven tutors can enhance student engagement,
Citation: Hutson J, Barner T. accessibility, and learning outcomes within the humanities; and (ii) what technical
Development and evaluation of and pedagogical limitations arise when integrating such solutions. Initial findings
the Da Vinci AI Tutor: Enhancing
accessibility and personalized indicate measurable improvements in student engagement, comprehension, and
learning in art history education. accessibility, positioning the Da Vinci AI Tutor as a promising model for scalable,
Design+. 2025;2(2):8365. adaptable instruction in higher education contexts. However, technical challenges
doi: 10.36922/dp.8365
such as avatar realism and system compatibility across various devices highlight
Received: January 2, 2025 areas for continued refinement. The results underscore both the theoretical potential
1st revised: March 7, 2025 of AI-driven tutoring solutions in humanities education and practical implications for
managerial and policy considerations, including platform compatibility and ethical
2nd revised: March 14, 2025
deployment.
Accepted: March 24, 2025
Published online: April 17, 2025 Keywords: AI tutor for humanities; Art history education; Accessibility in learning;
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s). Personalized education; Virtual reality in pedagogy
This is an Open-Access article
distributed under the terms
of the Creative Commons
AttributionNoncommercial License,
permitting all non-commercial use, 1. Introduction
distribution, and reproduction in any
medium, provided the original work Traditional tutoring has played a foundational role in education, offering personalized
is properly cited. instruction and support that dates back to ancient civilizations. Early tutors served as
Publisher’s Note: AccScience private educators for elite families, delivering individualized mentorship that extended
Publishing remains neutral with beyond academics to include moral and intellectual guidance. This dynamic was
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional particularly evident in the medieval tutorial systems of institutions, such as Oxford and
affiliations. Cambridge, where tutors cultivated close interpersonal relationships with their students,

Volume 2 Issue 2 (2025) 1 doi: 10.36922/dp.8365