NTC begins new year with new way for students to get tutoring help

WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) - Monday marked the first day of classes for students at Northcentral Technical College (NTC) in Wausau.

They’re starting off the school year with a new way to learn, an AI tutoring program called LearnWise.

While students already have access to free tutors at NTC, LearnWise provides 24/7 access to academic support.

Need flashcards? Quizzes on content? Summaries of lessons? LearnWise can do it all. The artificial intelligence tool can summarize information, provide sources, and give students what they ask for.

“Hoping that it provides more engagement, more confidence building for our students,” said Reggie Smith, the AI project manager for NTC. “So making sure that students aren’t getting confused, that maybe they’re not comfortable with asking the faculty member or going to a tutor, that they have an opportunity to speak to an AI tutor to have a conversation, to get more in-depth.”

Smith says this program is not meant to replace teachers or in-person tutors.

“Making sure that our teachers are empowered with this platform,” Smith said. “Making sure that they have the insights and the trends to be able to better support their students to get to that mastery level of learning. They’re great at building a sense of community here at the college and making sure that students have somebody they can talk to, especially if they’re confused about what they’re trying to learn. The benefit of an AI tutor is just a value add to what we’re already supporting in those physical tutors.”

LearnWise shows teachers what topics students are getting help with the most, so they can consider going over them more in class.

AT NTC, LearnWise can be found on Canvas, an online platform students already use to view course materials and assignments.

LearnWise only pulls its facts from Canvas. That means the answers it gives students are directly from documents and slides teachers have already uploaded.

LearnWise costs NTC $25,000 a year and is only available for more popular courses right now. By Spring 2026, NTC wants LearnWise to be implemented in all of its courses.

“Just making sure that our students are engaged and we’re building confidence. Learning is a journey and we want to make sure that we’re supportive along the entire journey,” Smith said.,