Generative AI-first Maths Support at a Regional Australian University

Abstract

Maths support has long been present in Australian tertiary education, primarily as a physical space staffed by tutors and complemented by asynchronous resources and accessible via integration into course curricula. This format has proved effective in improving student retention and transition (Horrocks et al., 2026) and will only increase in salience as student cohorts diversify. Artificial intelligence (AI) has shown potential for providing low-stakes mathematics and numeracy support that gives immediate, personalised feedback and clarification to students. A trial of generative AI (GenAI) agents as a first point of contact for mathematics support for nursing and education students at Federation University Australia found that students accessed support outside of office hours and during semester periods of highest need, indicating the potential of AI as a just-in-time learning tool. Furthermore, the qualitative data from the agent conversations showed that the agents were being utilised overwhelmingly for learning rather than cognitive offloading.