Partnering with Chatbots for Insight and Impact

Margaret Sass (IPS 490 Community-Based Learning Project) provided this assignment example. Examples can be adapted to fit your and your students’ comfort and skill levels.

Overview

In this activity, students engage with AI tools like boisestate.aiand Google Gemini to simulate real-world conversations, generate creative self-introductions, and reflect on their learning. By interacting with chatbots as thought partners and roleplay collaborators (e.g., acting as community stakeholders), students sharpen their critical thinking, communication, and ethical reasoning skills. This hands-on exercise enhances their understanding of community engagement while building digital fluency with generative AI.

Tools Used

Tools are free to students and may be swapped out for other Boise State supported tools as needed.

chat.openai.com is used for

Brainstorming project ideas
Drafting stakeholder emails
Assessing ethical issues
Clarifying CBL concept

https://gemini.google.com (through your Boise State Google account) is used for

Summarizing documents and readings
Creating AI-generated images
Enhancing Google Docs/Slides/Sheets with predictive text, formatting suggestions, and visual tools

Pedagogical Application

Applying: Students use boisestate.ai and Gemini to explain and synthesize course content (e.g., reflection prompts, community needs assessments).

Analyzing & Evaluating: Learners assess community needs with AI-supported research and chatbot simulations.

Creating: Students generate AI-enhanced self-portraits, proposals, timelines, reports, and final presentations.

Adaptability to Other Assignments

AI tools are woven into nearly every stage of the course, and they can easily be adapted to:

Simulated interviews with experts or stakeholders
Visual and written storytelling (e.g., image generation and creative writing)
Ethics scenarios
Evaluation planning and data analysis

By adapting the prompt structure and the intent, these tools can support reflection, communication practice, proposal development, and impactful projects.

How It Works

Module Assignment Examples

Example module assignments for Community-Based Learning Projects (IPS 490, regular session).

Module	Assignment	AI Use

Module	Assignment	AI Use
Module 1	AI-enhanced self-portrait	Create a creative personal introduction in the style of a poem, story, or trailer
Module 2	Mock Community Partner Interview	Simulate a conversation with a nonprofit representative to explore needs
Module 3	Generate AI-supported Project Ideas	Brainstorm project ideas that address local needs using boisestate.ai’s feedback
Module 5	Ethics and Evaluation Planning	Explore ethical challenges in AI-supported data collection
Module 10	Problem-solving Reflection	Use boisestate.ai to explore strategies for overcoming CBL implementation challenges

Prompt Examples and Supports

Community Engagement

Pretend you are the director of a local food bank. What community needs are you seeing right now?
What questions should I ask in a first meeting with a community partner?

Reflection

Ask me a question about what I’ve learned this week in my community-based learning course.
How might volunteering at a literacy center change someone’s perception of education inequity?

Planning and Support

Create a sample project scope for a 10-week community health awareness campaign.
Help me write a thank-you email to my community partner after presenting my project findings.

Troubleshooting Tips

Problem	Solution

Problem	Solution
AI gave me a vague or generic answer.	Add context: who the audience is, specific goals, tone of voice, or format (e.g., persuasive vs. informative).
The chatbot didn’t understand my assignment.	Try rephrasing your question in step-by-step form or provide background from the syllabus.
The conversation feels unrealistic or flat.	Ask the AI to take on a role or persona, such as a nonprofit director, teacher, or policymaker.