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arXiv · 2604.03236

BLADE: Better Language Answers through Dialogue and Explanations

Chathuri Jayaweera·Phoebe Huang·Bonnie J. Dorr
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Abstract

Large language model (LLM)-based educational assistants often provide direct answers offering little incentive for students to explore or engage with course materials. We present BLADE (Better Language Answers through Dialogue and Explanations), a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) based conversational assistant grounded in course-specific content that guides students toward relevant materials through citation-grounded dialogue rather than delivering unsourced solutions. We evaluate BLADE in an advanced undergraduate NLP course with extensive instructional resources, where locating and synthesizing relevant material is a central challenge. During quizzes, students are assigned to one of three conditions: BLADE only, direct course materials only, or both; we measure performance and resource usage. Results show that students consistently select BLADE over direct materials when both are available, and that quiz performance is highest when students use BLADE alone. In contrast, simultaneous use of both resources is associated with significantly lower performance, suggesting that combining modalities may introduce cognitive load without benefit. These findings show the potential of RAG-based assistants as a citation-grounded interface for applying course content under open-book exam-like conditions, while cautioning that adding direct-material access does not necessarily help, and may hinder, in-task performance.

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Chathuri Jayaweera, Phoebe Huang, Bonnie J. Dorr. 2026-08-11. BLADE: Better Language Answers through Dialogue and Explanations. https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.03236

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