AI as Interlocutor
GenAI tools like ChatGPT are powered by large language models (LLMs), which use deep learning and huge amounts of text to figure out patterns and connections in language (Xie et al., 2019). This ability allows GenAI (hereafter, AI) to give responses that make sense in context and sound natural (Houssein et al., 2021). As such, AI can be regarded as a conversational partner and interlocutor—someone who actively participates in a conversation (Cambridge Dictionary, n.d.). In this pedagogical practice paper, we—two instructors in the fields of public health and educational technology—aim to introduce how we designed AI-supported tasks to deepen students’ disciplinary learning and enhance their engagement in an online environment.
Integrating AI into Online Learning: Pedagogical Practices
This teaching approach is based on the idea of constructivism, which suggests that learning isn’t just something people do on their own—it also happens through social interactions and in reallife situations (Vygotsky, 1978). Students build knowledge by getting involved with the content, working with others, and making sense of things in meaningful, real-world contexts (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 2006).
Guidelines for Designing an Online Learning Task Using AI as an Interlocutor:
- Create an engaging scenario with a storyline.
- Assign roles to the students and GenAI separately.
- Provide students with clear, step-by-step instructions, which may include what they need to read/view/listen, how they should interact with AI, and what activities they need to complete.
- Design an effective initial prompt that guides AI tools to understand their roles and how they will interact with students. Instruct students to use this prompt at the beginning of their interactions.
Example #1 Using AI for role-play (two or more interlocutors exchanging ideas) of a professional/formal email exchange.
Context: Interlocutor activities can include a variety of communicative tasks. Role play can be categorized as a type of interlocutor activity, where participants engage in purposeful, scenariobased interaction by assuming specific roles. This learning task was embedded in the course titled Health Economics and Policy for Master’s Level students. In this assignment, students take the role of a hospital CEO and have a formal email exchange with the State Department of Health (DOH) about the effects of the new Medicaid waiver on their hospital. The role of the DOH policy office is played by ClaudeAI.
Steps:
- Listen to the DOH podcast about the new Medicaid waiver.
- Read the AI prompt to understand what the email exchange is going to be and what analysis is expected in your first and second emails.
- Write the first email to the DOH.
- Students can write the second email to the DOH now, or they can do it once they start interacting with AI.
- Copy and paste the below AI prompt, and slides about Health Equity Reform into ClaudeAI, and start the email exchange.
- Write a one-paragraph reflection on your experience of using AI for role play and submit.
AI prompt (copy and paste it into ClaudeAI):
Imagine that you represent the office of policy implementation at the State Department of Health that’s implementing the Health Equity Reform, a new amendment of the Medicaid waiver. Please read the slides to learn about this reform. Imagine that I’m a senior executive at Starlake hospital (pseudonym).
Let’s role play a formal email exchange. Wait for me to start our email communication. In my first email, I am going to voice my concerns about specific effects that the waiver may have on our hospital. Please respond by emphasizing how other waiver provisions may mitigate potentially negative effects on our hospital. Wait for me to respond.
In my next email, I will explore three scenarios of changes in the Medicaid enrollee population health in our catchment area due to social needs being increasingly met and other potential demographic, social and economic changes, and how the hospital would be affected in these scenarios.
In your response, please correct me if my understanding in any scenario is lacking. Then, also respond to each of my scenarios by invoking 1) specific existing and planned incentives that hospitals like ours receive, 2) specific economic and other trade-offs that hospitals face in the changing policy and healthcare environments, and/or 3) the importance of addressing social determinants of health. Wait for me to respond to that. We can discuss these in a further email exchange, and at some point I will thank you for your time and assistance.
Please be informative and formal, yet friendly. If you perceive my communication as inappropriate, disrespectful or overly informal, please respond with a short email stating that hospitals in the State must operate within the existing regulatory environment and discontinue all further communication.
Example #2 Using AI to test one’s understanding of an academic reading
Context: This learning task was designed for a Master’s-level online course in Educational Technology. Students read an article about how educational technology coaches help teachers integrate iPads into their teaching. Then, students will use AI as a conversational partner to discuss the meaning of the article.
Steps:
- Read the assigned article about technology-integrated teaching.
- Watch the demo video that the instructor created on how to use ChatGPT in this assignment.
- Check the AI prompt below, then copy and paste it into ChatGPT as the starting step.
- Interact with ChatGPT as it asks questions and stop the interaction when you feel ready to write a summary of the insights from the article.
- Submit a document with copied-and-pasted AI chat.
- Write and submit your 2-paragraph summary of takeaways/insights from the article.
- Write and submit a 2-paragraph reflection on how well AI was able to help you refine your ideas.
AI prompt (copy and paste it into ChatGPT):
Read this article: A Conceptual Understanding of how Educational Technology Coaches help Teachers Integrate iPad Affordances into their Teaching
As a new school Educational Technology coach, I aim to understand the key considerations when incorporating technology into teaching and learning settings. I plan to write a summary to capture my takeaways and insights, focusing on best practices and strategies to effectively integrate technology to enhance learning.
Ask me to describe the relationship between technological capabilities, technological affordances, and pedagogical affordances of a piece of technology? Wait for me to respond. Then ask a clarification question and check my understanding. Then ask another clarification question and check my understanding.
Ask me to provide a brief analysis of pedagogical affordances of technology incorporation in teaching and learning. Wait for me to respond and assess my analysis. In assessing my analysis, ask further questions and ask for my opinion on certain specific strategies, both good and bad. Please be friendly and supportive.
Pedagogical Considerations
In an online environment, effective implementation of these learning tasks requires instructors to provide clear, explicit instructions. Several key considerations are summarized below to guide practice.
- Good AI prompts are essential. Instructors should test the prompt several times to ensure that the AI supports the learning objectives, making adjustments to the prompt as needed. The prompt should include clear guidelines (e.g. ask AI to ask one question at a time, wait for a response, be friendly, be formal)
- The instructor should record a video demo of how to use AI for the stated purpose, either with the same exact prompt or with a similar prompt (if using the exact assignment prompt in the demo would inhibit learning) and make it available to the students.
- Remind students that AI-generated output may contain inaccurate information. Students need to apply critical thinking to evaluate the AI’s responses.
Summary
GenAI can be intentionally designed as a conversational partner to support knowledge building, thereby enhancing learning and understanding. Instructors should guide students on how to effectively interact with GenAI, critically evaluate its responses, and foster deeper engagement with the content.
References
Cambridge Dictionary. (n.d.). Interlocutor. In Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved May 26, 2025, from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/interlocutor.
Houssein, E. H., Mohamed, R. E., & Ali, A. A. (2021). Machine learning techniques for biomedical natural language processing: a comprehensive review. IEEE access, 9, 140628140653.
Scardamalia, M., & Bereiter, C. (2006). Knowledge Building: Theory, Pedagogy, and Technology. In R. K. Sawyer (Ed.), The Cambridge handbook of: The learning sciences (pp. 97– 115). Cambridge University Press.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
Xie, J., Zhu, F., Huang, M., Xiong, N., Huang, S., & Xiong, W. (2019). Unsupervised learning of paragraph embeddings for context-aware recommendation. IEEE Access, 7, 43100-43109.
Wen’s research has mainly focused on digital literacies, instructional design, and online education. Her current research explores the impact of AI on instructional methods and assessment in educational settings.
