The University of Missouri is piloting a new AI walled garden tool as part of MU Provost Martens’ priority of embracing AI in higher education. Show-Me AI provides a safe, secure and responsible way to use generative AI for teaching and learning, aligning the innovation and opportunity of AI with our institutional values.
Invitations are open to faculty, instructors and students interested in helping test the new tool’s capabilities.
Show-Me AI uses premium versions of several large language models to aid pilot users with course development and guidance for coursework completion.
Teaching support and efficiency:
- Streamline course content development and lesson planning.
- Draft emails, posts or other messages for class communication.
- Create custom AI assistants that can locate course documents for students, answer course content questions, offer assignment feedback, provide practice test questions, facilitate role-playing scenarios and more.
Learning assistance and enhancement:
- Gain real-world experience using generative AI.
- Draft emails, posts or other messages.
- Receive personalized course assistance through a custom AI assistant that’s always available.
Apply for the pilot
We need your help. To test Show-Me AI, we’ll be conducting a one-year proof-of-concept project focused on academic and learning capabilities. We’re seeking a limited number of faculty and student participants to help test the features and capabilities of the portal. We encourage you to apply early. The priority deadline is Aug. 31.
Following the proof-of-concept project, the capabilities of the portal may be expanded to include tools for research, staff productivity and collaboration.
Applications will open Aug. 1.
Show-Me AI FAQ
More information about Show-Me AI can be found in the FAQ below. If you have additional questions about applying for the pilot or about the walled garden AI tool, contact Justin Palozola, japfcd@umsystem.edu.
Faculty, instructors and students accepted to be part of the Show-Me AI pilot will be granted access beginning in September 2025. The pilot will run for at least one year to inform a determination on adoption for all faculty, instructors, students and research and administrative staff at the University of Missouri and, possibly, across the University of Missouri System.
Pilot users will be expected to complete regular surveys providing feedback on the use and functionality of Show-Me AI.
Access to Show-Me AI will be provided through a dedicated portal using your University of Missouri System single sign-on ID.
Show-Me AI will have the following features during the pilot:
- Selectable AI models. Options include ChatGPT, Claude and others.
- Custom AI assistants. Assistants can be assigned individually, duplicated, shared and given special instructions.
- Secure file uploads. Files can be uploaded for use with class assistants, student progress tracking and more.
- Data classification level 3 secure. FERPA and other personal data are protected and will not be shared with any third parties or used for AI training.
Some possibilities for instruction assistance include:
- Upload course materials (syllabi, assignments, rubrics, etc.) to receive feedback on course or assignment design.
- Receive help with lesson planning.
- Generate potential test questions.
- Generate images for course content.
- Facilitate role-playing scenarios or case studies.
- Aid in drafting emails, posts or other messages for class communication.
- Utilize AI assistants to track student progress on assignments and practice items.
- Receive assistance in providing personalized feedback to students on their learning.
- Build custom AI assistants to support student learning.
Some possibilities for learning enhancement include:
- Gain real-world experience using generative AI.
- Upload completed coursework and assignments for help with course content.
- Ask questions about assignments or course content.
- Access practice test questions.
- Aid in drafting emails, posts or other messages for class communication.
- Receive personalized course assistance through a custom AI assistant that’s always available.
Custom AI assistants are a powerful feature in Show-Me AI.
AI assistants can be:
- Created and customized by faculty and instructors for student use.
- Pre-loaded with all relevant course content (syllabi, assignments, rubrics, documents, etc.) for comprehensive learning support.
- Individually assigned to each student for a personalized experience.
- Adaptive, learning and evolving with each student's needs throughout the semester.
- Configured with custom instructions (e.g., to withhold direct answers for assignments or quizzes).
- Designed for specific assignments and various learning scenarios, including interactive role-playing.
- Programmed to provide faculty with analytics on student interactions and prompt histories.
Students can use AI assistants to:
- Receive instant, personalized feedback on assignments and various learning activities.
- Access comprehensive course support 24/7, even when instructors are offline.
- Ask specific questions about course information, deadlines and where to find materials.
- Prepare for assessments through sample quizzes, study aids and detailed answers to course content questions.
- Engage in interactive role-playing scenarios, such as practice interviews, with tailored feedback.
Show-Me AI anddata security
The Division of Information Technology (DoIT) oversees the university’s information technology operations, including AI strategy and innovation.
Show-Me AI is a controlled AI environment with safeguards to ensure data security and privacy while supporting responsible and safe use of generative AI at the University of Missouri. Show-Me AI is classified to handle DCL-3 data, which meets requirements for FERPA and other personal and restricted data.
Generative AITraining
UM Academic Technology has several guides to get started using generative AI. These can be found linked below. Training resources specific to Show-Me AI are under development and will be published to this page once available.