LearnAssist™ Faculty Onboarding Experience

AI Academic Companion Avatar™

Interactive Faculty Module 1

Welcome, and thank you for participating in this faculty orientation experience. We're excited to introduce you to the AI Academic Companion Avatar™ and the many ways it can support teaching, learning, student engagement, and academic success. Before interacting with the avatar, please take a few moments to complete the four short orientation modules. These brief videos will introduce the core features, demonstrate how the avatar supports both faculty and students, and help you get the most from your interactive experience.

After watching all four videos, continue to the AI Academic Companion Avatar™ Activity Guide. The Activity Guide will provide opportunities to engage directly with the avatar, explore its capabilities, and experience firsthand how it can be customized to support your own courses and students. This AI Avatar focuses on APA format and research methods and designs. The AI Avatar was developed to personalize learning for all students. Keep in mind that you can develop an AI Avatar based on your students' unique needs. Regardless of the content, the AI Avatar is designed using best practices in teaching and learning and is grounded in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles.

We hope you enjoy the experience, and we sincerely appreciate your feedback as we continue developing innovative, faculty-centered AI solutions for higher education.

Now, let's get started and explore what's possible together.

Part 1 – Supporting Your Students

Part 3 – Supporting Assignments

Video Modules

Part 2 – Supporting Faculty

Part 4 – Imagine the Possibilities

AI Academic Companion Avatar

Interactive Practice Guide

Purpose: This activity guide accompanies the LearnAssist™ Faculty Onboarding Module. Throughout this Activity, you will have opportunities to interact with the AI avatar . As you interact, think about how these conversations could support your own students and courses.

To start the AI avatar training,complete the following steps:

1 . To begin, use the questions in the Activities to the right while you work with the AI Avatar. The activities provide guided questions you can type, speak, or copy into the avatar after the avatar finishes the introduction. To begin, using the avatar, click the green “Start” button located in the next section of this page.

2. Listen to the avatar introduction.

3. Once the avatar completes the introduction, pause the avatar by clicking the button with the square on it.

4. When you are ready to begin asking the suggested questions from the activity guide, you can use the text box or microphone icons to communicate with the avatar. To enhance the learning experience, you can turn your camera on so the avatar can observe your environment and persona.

5. When you finish all four activities in the activity guide, click on the “End Session” button.

6. At the end of the training, a text box with a link to the survey will appear.

7. Complete the survey and hit submit.

Complete the activities below. Open each activity by clicking on the “+” symbol.

Activity One: Supporting Your Students
Ask the avatar: (Use the text box or microphone icons to communicate with the avatar. You can turn your camera on so the avatar can observe your environment and persona to enhance the learning experience.)
"As a student, what is the difference between quantitative and qualitative research?"
Reflection
After listening, consider:
- Did the explanation encourage learning instead of simply providing information?
- Was the explanation conversational and easy to understand?
- Would your students benefit from this style of support?
- How closely did the explanation reflect your own teaching approach?
Next Question
Ask:
"How do I write research questions that align with my study?"
One More Question
Ask:
"Why should I triangulate the data collected for my study?"
Reflection
Imagine this conversation occurring at 10:30 PM the night before an assignment is due.
How might this change the student's confidence?
Think about:
- Did the avatar scaffold the learning process?
- Did it encourage critical thinking?
- Did it guide rather than complete the work?
- How could this reduce student frustration?
Ask: (Use the text box or microphone icons to communicate with the avatar. You can turn your camera on so the avatar can observe your environment and persona to enhance the learning experience.)
"How could you utilize the APA Avatar to prepare students before they come to office hours?"
Reflection
Would students arrive better prepared?
Could office hours become more meaningful?
Would this reduce repetitive questions?
Next Question
Ask:
"What would allow you to spend more time teaching and mentoring instead of answering repetitive questions?"
Reflection
If AI reduced routine questions, how would you spend those extra hours each week?
Final Faculty Question
Ask:
"How could you support me as the instructor in this course?"
Reflection
Did the avatar describe supporting faculty rather than replacing them?
How important is that distinction?
Think about one assignment that consistently creates confusion.
Now ask: (Use the text box or microphone icons to communicate with the avatar. You can turn your camera on so the avatar can observe your environment and persona to enhance the learning experience.)
"Can you help me understand this assignment?"
Reflection
Notice whether the avatar:
- clarifies expectations
- reinforces the rubric
- explains concepts
- encourages independent thinking
rather than simply completing the assignment.
Next Question
Ask:
"At what point should I encourage students to contact you directly?"
Reflection
Were the boundaries appropriate?
Did the avatar recognize situations that require instructor involvement?
Now it's your turn.
Ask any questions that relate to your own teaching.
Ideas include:
- Explain one of my assignments.
- Help students prepare for labs.
- Support dissertation writing.
- Coach research methods.
- Review APA.
- Help prepare for clinicals.
- Support first-generation students.
- Improve student engagement.
- Encourage critical thinking.
- Reduce student anxiety.
There are no wrong questions.
Experiment.
Be creative.
Reflection Questions
After completing the activities, consider the following.
Student Learning
How could the AI Avatar improve:
- student confidence?
- engagement?
- persistence?
- understanding?
Faculty Experience
How could the A AvatarI:
- reduce repetitive questions?
- improve office hours?
- support feedback?
- save time?
Course Design
Which course would benefit most?
Which assignment would benefit most?
Where would students use this most often?
Innovation
If you could add one feature...
What would it be?
Thank You!
Thank you for completing the LearnAssist™ Interactive Practice Guide.
Your feedback helps us improve the AI Academic Companion Avatar™ and ensures that future development remains grounded in faculty expertise, student success, and evidence-based teaching practices.
NEXT STEPS:
1. Please complete the Post-test Survey at https://forms.gle/j2ZHLbALFX6QszRw6
2. If you would like to participate in the qualitative piece of the study, please contact Dr. Linda Cummins at lcummins@nu.edu, Dr. Laurie Wellner at laurie.wellner@usuniversity.edu, or Dr. Kathleen Covey at kdcovey4@gmail.com