Development of context-aware AI-powered document assistants to strengthen technical training in tourism

Abstract

The integration of emerging digital tools into rural educational contexts remains an ongoing challenge in Ecuador. This study analyzes the influence of the pedagogical use of NotebookLM, an artificial intelligence-based document assistant, on the comprehensive education of third-year students enrolled in the Tourism Technical High School program at the Nicolás Shiguango Educational Unit. A mixed-methods approach with an action research design was employed, involving surveys administered to twelve students and interviews conducted with two experts in technology-integrated education. The findings reveal a favorable attitude among students toward digital tools, although limited internet connectivity at home remains a significant barrier. The experts agreed that NotebookLM can enhance critical thinking and learner autonomy when supported by appropriate pedagogical guidance. As a result, a four-phase methodological proposal was designed and validated to develop contextualized document assistants using NotebookLM for tourism education, supporting tourist route planning, access to contextualized tourism information, identification of emergency support points, and the development of study guides for each destination. During the implementation process, students collected, organized, and validated tourism, historical, cultural, and environmental information from the Ongota community, integrated it into NotebookLM, and implemented tourism routes that were evaluated by thirty-two visitors, who provided positive evaluations of the activity. The study concludes that the strategic integration of existing artificial intelligence tools represents a feasible and relevant approach for rural educational contexts when supported by teacher training, contextualized implementation, and cultural adaptation.