AI Conversations in Ultra 

AI Conversations are designed to help students think through concepts and develop understanding using structured dialog. 

Depending on how the activity is designed, the AI generated conversation can either take on a specific role or guide students through questioning:

• In a Role-play activity, the AI adopts a persona, such as a manager, finance director, customer, or subject expert. Students can practise interacting with the AI as they would in a real-world situation.

• In a Socratic Questioning activity, the AI asks questions that encourage students to explain, justify, and reconsider their thinking. This can help students explore complex concepts, test assumptions, and develop stronger arguments.

Students can respond to questions, share their ideas, and explore a topic through conversation. This makes learning more interactive and gives students a chance to apply what they have learned.

AI Conversations work best when used alongside teaching, feedback, and independent study. They are not a replacement.

• AI generated conversations give students the opportunity to practise real-life situations through role-play activities. For example, they might present a project idea to an AI manager, customer, or stakeholder and respond to questions about their decisions and plans.

• They can help students develop critical thinking skills. Through Socratic questioning, the AI can ask follow-up questions that encourage students to explain their reasoning, justify their choices, and consider alternative viewpoints.

• AI conversations help students build confidence, strengthen communication skills, and develop reflective practice by responding to questions posed by the AI and evaluating their understanding of the subject. 

However, it is important to remember that AI is not always correct. Students should think carefully about the responses they receive and check important facts. AI-generated content may be incomplete, inaccurate, or influenced by the information provided.
Tutors should encourage students to apply critical thinking and verify AI outputs to ensure activities remain aligned with learning outcomes, student wellbeing, and institutional policies.

The following guide shows how to create an AI Conversation activity.

a. From the content page of your module, click the plus (+) icon where you want the activity to appear.
[Screenshot 1: Content page showing the plus (+) icon and Add Content menu]
b. Select AI Conversation from the content options.
c. Choose the conversation type:
Socratic Questioning for guided questioning and critical thinking.
Role-play for scenario-based learning and simulations.
[Screenshot 2: AI Conversation setup screen showing the Socratic Questioning and Role-play options]
d. Enter a description of the topic, problem, or scenario you want students to explore.
e. If you selected Role-play, define the AI persona (for example, customer, manager, or colleague) and describe the situation in which the conversation will take place.
f. Add a reflection question that students will answer after completing the conversation.
[Screenshot 3: Reflection question field and completed AI Conversation settings]
g. Review the activity settings and content.
h. Click Save.

The AI Conversation activity is now added to the content page and ready for students to access.

Instructors are ultimately responsible for the content generated by the AI Conversation tool, including the dialogue students encounter through the Role Play functionality. 

Although content filters are in place to help prevent the generation of illegal, harmful or copyrighted content, AI can still make mistakes and produce inaccurate, misleading or inappropriate responses. Tutors and students should therefore be aware of the limitations and potential risks associated with using AI.

Instructors should select the personality traits carefully and preview the AI Conversation, before sharing with students. Personality traits significantly influence the tone and content of the conversation. For example, if an instructor sets up the AI persona to be controversial or biased, the AI output will reproduce this in conversations with students. Similarly, if students input biased, controversial or dangerous ideas, the AI persona will not always challenge this. 

Tutors are encouraged to have an open discussion with students about these limitations, helping them to engage critically with AI-generated content, question the outputs they receive and understand the importance of using AI responsibly.

See Blackboard AI Guidelines for more information and remember to use AI alongside policies from the university and your subject group.