Enabling AI Conversation in a Content Area

AI conversation in Blackboard Ultra allows faculty to create interactive learning experiences.

Instructors can create AI Conversations around a topic or scenario to engage students. AI Conversations may include Socratic questioning and role-play exercises, allowing students to explore and reflect on their own thinking or simulate situations related to their learning or career path. Additional conversation types will be added as the team gathers user feedback and insights.

There are two elements to an AI Conversation activity:

AI Conversation
This prompts students to think critically about the topic designed by the instructor.

Reflection Question
This asks students to share their thoughts on the activity. Students can also flag any bias or errors from the AI as part of the Trustworthy AI Approach. Reflection helps students deepen their understanding and evaluate the learning process.

Students can ask questions about the content and receive AI-generated responses. Here's how to enable this feature:

1. Navigate to your course in Blackboard Ultra.
2. In the Course Content area, click on the + icon to open Create Item.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the list to AI Conversation

      4. Choose from the type of conversation you want to enable: Socratic Questioning or Role-Play by clicking the box.

       5. Check the radio button Step 2 of 3 to add the key question or topic of conversation in the text editor.

       6. Click Next

       7. Check the radio button Step 3 of 3 to define the AI persona and style. Create an image, name, personality trait and manage the level of complexity using the likert scale.

       8. Click Save

       9. Best practices include using the Chat preview to ensure your settings are correct. 

Student Access

Once enabled, students will see an AI conversation icon within the content area. They can click this icon to open the AI chat interface.

Limitations

• The AI conversation feature is only available in Blackboard Ultra courses.
• The accuracy of AI-generated responses may vary. Faculty should review AI responses periodically to ensure accuracy.

Best Practices

• Clearly communicate the purpose of the AI conversation feature to students.
• Encourage students to use the AI conversation feature as a supplementary learning tool.
• Monitor student interactions with the AI conversation feature to identify areas for improvement.

Need Additional Support?

This guide aims to provide useful information, but as technology changes, interfaces or steps might vary. Please use the Comment button to let us know if anything differs from your experience. Your feedback helps us keep this information accurate. Thank you!