Using A Chatbot as an Instructional Design Tutor
Our Instructional Design and Technology team was tasked with tracking learning objective achievement in Extension courses to support WASC accreditation. Canvas offers an "Outcomes" feature, but WASC also requires instructors to reflect on how their course design supports student success. While staff could help instructors brainstorm improvements, a more scalable method was needed. We developed a chatbot using Playlab, enabling instructors to input course titles and design elements they do or do not support (e.g., variety of assignments, social presence, use of media, rich feedback, real-world examples, collaboration, accessibility). The chatbot responds with strategies to improve teaching, assessment, or student engagement. Instructors then add their selected strategy to a checklist, which we track for WASC compliance. Afterward, they’re invited to learn how to build their own chatbots, promoting the integration of AI into teaching and learning at Extension.
Speaker/Host
Primary/Host Speaker
Ann Kwinn
Director of Instructional Design and Quality Control at UC Riverside
Dr. Ann Kwinn is the Director of Instructional Design and Quality Control for UC Riverside Extension, overseeing the online learning function, pedagogy, instructor support and special projects such as promoting the use of AI in education. Prior to joining UCR, she was a faculty member and Director of Instructional Strategy for Azusa Pacific University. Ann is the co-author, with Ruth Clark, of the Pfeiffer book, The New Virtual Classroom, and has written numerous articles. She has developed and taught many courses for corporate and higher education settings and has spoken at many conferences. Ann holds a Ph.D. in Instructional Technology from the University of Southern California, was a research fellow at the Educational Testing Service and is on an advisory board for UC Irvine, Extension.
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