Toi Ohomai Takes AI Learning Further with Cogniti Rollout

Toi Ohomai is among the first tertiary organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand to roll out Cogniti, an AI platform that enables Kaiako (teachers) to create course-specific learning agents. Following a successful pilot running since early 2024, the platform is now hosted within Toi Ohomai’s own secure environment and is being rolled out across the organisation as a supported teaching and learning tool.

Now integrated into the learning management system (LMS), the chatbots are accessible to students anytime, handling tasks such as providing additional information on topics, creating quick quizzes for test preparation, and providing simulations of client and workplace case studies.

Support for designing and using agents has been robust with each one built on course-specific content and kaiako and ākonga feedback. Each unique chatbot accesses content that the kaiako curates within the Cogniti application, software designed and led by Professor Danny Liu and the University of Sydney.

The innovation has also been recognised globally, with Toi Ohomai featured in a University of Sydney story marking Cogniti’s launch on the Microsoft Marketplace, alongside partner institutions Unitec and Manukau Institute of Technology.  

What started as a targeted trial has become a scalable, institution-wide tool that is reshaping how ākonga engage with their learning.

Toi Ohomai Education Technology Advisor Jonathan Adams says the Cogniti ‘agents’ extend learning beyond the classroom.

“What we’re seeing is most ākonga engaging with Cogniti outside of class hours, using it to test understanding, revisit content, and build confidence and expertise on their own terms.”

In nursing, Cogniti agents simulate high-pressure clinical scenarios, allowing students to practise responding to deteriorating patients or performing drug calculations in a safe environment. At the same time, kaiako across disciplines are using the platform in more personalised ways, designing agents that act as subject-matter experts, study companions, and assessment coaches.

For Toi Ohomai Academic Staff Member Emma McMichael, Cogniti is reshaping how ākonga prepare for assessments in a fully online sterilisation technology course.  

“The chatbot acts as a personal tutor, ākonga can ask questions, test their understanding and reflect on their learning in real time, without waiting for tutor feedback.”  

With many of her learners working shifts, the ability to access support at any time has been critical.  

“Having that support available 24/7 makes a real difference, especially for those balancing study with demanding work schedules.”  

The impact is being felt not just by ākonga, but by kaiako as well. Cogniti reduces the time spent on repetitive feedback while providing valuable insight into how learners are engaging with course material, ultimately freeing educators to focus on teaching and learner support.  

As Emma puts it, “it’s reducing kaiako workload in some areas, while allowing more kaiako guidance to be available to ākonga in other meaningful ways”.

With Cogniti securely hosted within Toi Ohomai, all interactions remain private and contained within the organisation, giving staff confidence in how AI is being used. The technical implementation was led by Frank Aldridge, Daniel Godden, Nathan Munro (Snr Infrastructure Engineer), Greg Vincent (Security Engineer), and Eric Barrett (PM) at Toi Ohomai. This combination of safety, flexibility and practical impact is helping drive adoption and positioning Toi Ohomai as a leader in applied AI for education.

“We’re not experimenting anymore, we’re embedding AI in ways that are practical, safe and genuinely improve learning,” says Jonathan.