A hybrid retrieval augmented generation framework for automated educational document understanding and intelligent response generation

Abstract

New students often struggle when short articles clash with thick textbooks. Still, even though large language models offer some teaching support, standard online setups lack focused accuracy - sometimes making things up - and risk user data control. Here comes an idea: build a tightly tested, self- contained system that aligns learning materials automatically without needing the internet, keeping information private by design. One look at two setups shows how they handle local reasoning differently. Instead of using both encoder and decoder parts, one system skips the encoder entirely. That simpler design grabs full context through ChromaDB without shrinking the data first. Meanwhile, the older type crunches input down, losing meaning along the way. Even though it runs fast - just under a second - errors pop up often, four out of five responses drifting off course. On the flip side, the new method builds correct code nearly every time, adds clear explanations tied to lesson goals, yet takes more than fourteen seconds to reply. Slower? Yes. More accurate? Clearly. What stands out is how compressed models running locally can still catch up in understanding classroom content. Another key point emerges: building tutors powered by artificial intelligence (AI) becomes safer when data never leaves the device and outside services are not needed at all.