I used to work as an Instructional Technology Fellow. Back then, of course we did not have the AI tools we have today. Nowadays, it is very easy to build the tools based on individual needs and preferences. I built Docent using Claude Code and deployed it on Vercel. The tool itself is free, unfortunately the actual AI models it uses are not. Docent utilizes Openrouter as the model provider, and you will need to enter your own Openrouter API key on Docent settings tab to be able to use the tool.
So far, a good learning session with narrated 20-30 slides and Q/A rounds is costing $2-3 dollars using Opus 4.6. However, learning is addictive and continuous use of the tool can lead to substantive AI model API costs that are charging by the token. Unfortunately, currently I do not have a good solution for individuals. Hosting your own local AI models is certainly an option, if you have the capability.
I used to work on Agent Based Learning Partners and also served as an Instructional Technology Fellow. A lot has happened since then!
With the advent of AI, it is now easy to create your own Instructional Technology tools. I find that I am not patient anymore to read 30+ pages of research papers, and I prefer narrated presentations and directly interacting with AI. Therefore, I built Docent. It works completely on your browser, you just enter your own Openrouter API key on the settings and you are good to go.
Demo site is here: https://docent-wine.vercel.app/
Do not forget to provide your own OpenRouter API key on the settings to try it out!
If you find the tool useful and/or if it inspires you feel free to fork the repo. I released it on MIT License here: https://github.com/symbiont-ai/d...
here is a 2-minute demo:
here is a 15 minute example narrated journal club presentation:
Happy learning!