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To prevent LLMs from short-circuiting scientific reasoning through unprompted answers, the authors built NuPaD, a specialized pedagogical agent framework for graduate-level subatomic physics. The architecture integrates a Markdown-native textbook optimized for local LLM ingestion, domain-specific companion files, and system prompt protocols that enforce problem-based learning. This constrained interaction loop shifts generative models from passive answer retrieval engines into active tutors that scaffold complex physical inquiry while maintaining local privacy.
Default LLMs degrade graduate-level STEM education by providing immediate answers, but structured inquiry constraints can successfully repurpose local models into rigorous Socratic reasoning tutors.
The rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in higher education has introduced a critical pedagogical paradox: while these systems possess extraordinary capacity for information retrieval and synthesis, their default operational mode of supplying immediate, unprompted answers actively undermines the cognitive processes upon which genuine scientific understanding is built. This paper presents NuPaD (Nuclear \&Particle Physics -- Deep Learning Tutor), a novel pedagogical framework designed for the graduate-level subatomic physics curriculum. For such advanced courses, instruction naturally shifts toward inquiry-driven, problem-based learning, making it an ideal environment to use GenAI to explore complex, open-ended physical questions rather than merely querying established facts. The framework consists of three tightly coupled and easy-to-use components: a primary agent instruction file that enforces a structured problem-based learning protocol, a purpose-built textbook optimized for precise parsing by privacy-preserving local GenAI, and a concise companion file that bridges the knowledge gap between the textbook and GenAI, alongside a comprehensive dynamic skill set for specialized tasks. We explain in detail the architectural principles of the modular NuPaD framework, the design philosophy of the Markdown-native textbook format, and the underlying GenAI regulation principles. By redefining the interaction loop between student and model, this framework transforms GenAI from a passive answer engine into an active, personalized tutor, ensuring that it accelerates rather than bypasses the development of deep learning and scientific reasoning.