AI as Character: Application to the Classroom

Abstract

This proposed session will present applications of student designed AI avatar chatbots in beginning language course simulations. This study will report on student engagement when their characters, initially crafted by students through a series of written memoirs, “come to life.” Data analyses will explore how the four multifaceted dimensions of engagement shift throughout the lesson phases (i.e., student chatbot creation, chatbot introductions, real-time chatbot interactions with students, etc.).

Bio

Nicole Mills is Joint Director of RLL Language Programs at Harvard University. Her research interests are immersive realities, simulated language learning environments, and the psychology of language learning. She has various publications in journals and edited volumes and her co-authored book Perspectives on Teaching Language and Content was published with Yale University Press in 2020.