Coached by My Future Self: A Syllabus-Driven AI Mentor to Build Grit, Agency, and Learning Performance through a Mantle-of-the-Expert Journey

Abstract

Learning is a transformative journey from not knowing to mastery, guided by syllabi that outline weekly topics, learning objectives, tasks, and assessment rubrics. While these documents scaffold academic content, they rarely engage students as developing professionals or motivate them through long-term identity growth. Many learners struggle to stay on track—grappling with procrastination, low persistence, and a diminished sense of ownership over one’s learning—especially when weekly tasks feel disconnected from their future goals. This paper introduces a new approach to AI-enhanced learning: a “Future Self Coach” that transforms a standard course syllabus into a personalized mentor. Rather than functioning as a virtual assistant, this large language model (LLM)-powered agent embodies the student’s envisioned expert self at the end of the course. The system leverages existing course syllabi—specifically their objectives and rubrics, framed as identity-progress dashboards—as inputs to generate personalized guidance aligned with weekly expectations, without requiring teachers to author complex content. Through this interaction, students are not only supported in completing tasks, but also gradually adopt the mindset promoted by the Mantle-of-the-Expert approach, where learning is framed as stepping into expert roles. A quasi-experimental study with 97 vocational students in hospitality training compared three conditions: (1) a learning management system (LMS) with the Future Self Coach, (2) an LMS with a general-purpose AI assistant, and (3) a standard LMS. Results showed that students supported by the Future Self Coach significantly outperformed the other groups across all measures—demonstrating higher learning performance, greater grit, stronger sense of agency, and engaged more frequently. This study presents a scalable, psychologically grounded framework for integrating AI into existing courses without burdening instructors. By leveraging the syllabus as both a roadmap and motivational scaffold, the system bridges the gap between short-term tasks and long-term identity, helping learners stay focused, resilient, and committed to their professional growth.