Set up and use AI-guided Student Discussions in Learning Activities

Overview

AI-guided Student Discussions help school staff create engaging, interactive AI-facilitated discussions that enhance student engagement, promote inclusivity, and deepen student learning.

Note: ‘School staff’ here refers to teachers and others involved in student wellbeing and learning. 

This guide helps you:

• Enable AI-guided student discussions in learning activities (as a Superuser)
• Change Discussion Terminology (as a Superuser)
• Create an AI-guided Discussion in a Class page (as a school staff)
• Manage Student Participation and Submission in Discussions (as a school staff)

Prerequisite 

Availability of this AI feature depends on the AI model configured for your Schoolbox instance (such as OpenAI or Microsoft Azure). Your school must have an active integration with a supported AI provider to access any AI features. To know how to set it up, see:

• ‘Using OpenAI services’ or ‘Using MS Azure OpenAI Service‘ in Set up the AI Services
• Enable AI-guided student discussions in learning activities (as a Superuser)

As a Superuser, you can enable AI-guided Student Discussions to bring intelligent, guided conversations into your school’s learning activities. Enabling this feature ensures that school staff across your Schoolbox instance can integrate AI discussion directly within their course activities.

To enable AI-guided Student Discussions for your school:

1. First, set up the AI service in Administration > System Settings > AI Services.
    
2. In Discussion Learning Activity, choose your AI Provider (OpenAI or Azure) and then enter the relevant details:
   1. OpenAI:
      1. OpenAI API Key - is a secret code (API key) that lets Schoolbox securely connect to OpenAI’s services.
      2. OpenAI Model - is the specific AI model from OpenAI that Schoolbox uses to generate text or images.
      3. Generation System Prompt - it tells the AI exactly what you want it to do for your school when generating discussion content for students.
   2. Azure:
      1. OpenAI API Key - is a secret code (API key) that lets Schoolbox securely connect to OpenAI’s services.
      2. Azure OpenAI Resource Name - is the unique name you give to your OpenAI resource when you create it in Microsoft Azure.  
      3. Azure OpenAI Deployment ID - is a unique identifier for a specific model deployment within your Azure OpenAI resource.
      4. Generation System Prompt - it tells the AI exactly what you want it to do when generating discussion content for students.
          
3. Toggle ‘Enable AI Moderation’ to ON to activate AI moderation. This will ensure that all AI-generated messages are checked before they are posted. Any messages that do not meet the guidelines will be blocked. 
   Note: The content is processed by a third-party AI service, which is outside the control of Schoolbox.
    
4. When done, select Save to apply the changes. 
   This confirms the AI service connection and enables AI-guided Student Discussions for your school.
   
   Note: If AI options don’t appear, check that your license covers AI features and the service is turned on. For more details, see Set Up the AI Services and AI Feature Availability.

You can, as a Superuser, customise the terminology used throughout the Schoolbox platform to better align with your school’s communication style, instructional approach, or program-specific language. This includes updating the terms used in discussion activities so they match what your school prefers. 
For example, replacing ‘Discussion’ with ‘Forum’, ‘Discussions’, or any other terminology your school uses.

For more information, see Managing Terminology.

To make changes to the terminology used for ‘Discussion’ for your school:

1. Go to Administration > System Settings > Terminology.
   This opens the Terminology page for you.
    
2. Scroll to the Term Discussion.
    
3. Enter the Singular Form, Plural Form, and Indefinite Article.
    
4. Next, in Capitalisation, toggle to YES to capitalise the first letter.
    
5. When done, select Save.
   This saves the terminology you have defined for ‘Discussion’ for your school.

As a school staff, you can bring your classroom conversations to life with AI-guided Student Discussions from your course outline. You can use AI-guided discussions at any stage of your lesson: when introducing a new topic, supporting group activities, or concluding a learning sequence. The AI-guided discussions will integrate smoothly into your existing teaching flow.

In this guide, you’ll see how to set up an AI-guided discussion and make the most of its interactive features:

• Access AI-guided Discussion in a Course
• Create an AI-guided Discussion in a Course
• Create Agent for the AI-guided discussion
   

Access AI-guided Discussion in a Course

To access:

1. Add /learning/classes at the end of your homepage URL. Select Enter for your Class page to display.
   
   (or) 

2. In the top menu, select Classes . This displays your Class page.
    

   Alternatively, you can also access this via the 3-dot menu iconin a Course Outline for a class.

Create an AI-guided Discussion in a Course 

As a school staff, to create an AI-guided Discussion in a class page:

1. In your class page, select the icon.
   A list of tabs and components appear.
    
2. Next, select the Learning tab.
   A list of learning components appear.
    
3. Then, select the Discussions component to drag and drop it to the desired location on your class page.
   The Discussions component will display.
   
   You’ve now added the AI Discussions component to your class page.
    
4. Next, select Create a discussion in the Discussions component you just added.
   This opens the Create Discussion page.
    
5. Next, in Title, enter a clear, meaningful title for your discussion to help students easily identify the activity.
   For example: AI-guided Discussion: Renewable Energy Sources
    
6. Next, in Work Type, choose a Work Type that best describes how students will engage. For example, this can include options such as Individual Work, Group Discussion, or Learning Activity, depending on how you want students to participate.
    
7. Next, in Add Curriculum Codes (optional), you can add a curriculum code if your school links activities to specific curriculum standards.
    
8. Then, use the Description field (optional) to explain the purpose of the discussion and provide context or guidance for students. For example, you can include key questions, expectations for participation, or links to related resources.
    
9. In Allowed Time, you can set the time limit on how long students can work on the activity. This promotes responsible use of technology and helps school staff manage students’ digital engagement. 
   For example, if you set a limit of 30 minutes, the discussion will be automatically submitted when the time expires, even if the student hasn’t submitted it manually. A reminder message will notify students of the remaining time before the discussion is automatically submitted. 
   Note: If this option is toggled off, students can complete the activity without a time limit.
    
10. Next, in Submission Dates, you can enter the:
    1. Publish Date - determines when students can see the activity in their course or class page.
    2. Open Date - determines when students can start participating.
    3. Close Date - indicates when auto-submissions for any open discussions occur.
        
11. Then, in Select Scenario, choose the AI-guided discussion scenario that best matches your learning objective. Each scenario guides how the AI facilitates the discussion with the students by prompting critical thinking, encouraging collaboration, or supporting reflection.
    Note: To know more about each scenario, see How Scenarios Work.
     
12. When done, select Create.
    This creates the AI-guided discussion on your class page.
    
    You’ve now created an AI-guided Discussion for the students in the class page.
     

Create Agent for the AI-guided discussion

After creating your AI-guided discussion, the next task is to create and configure the AI discussion agent. This agent allows the AI to interact with students using the discussion prompts you define.

To create and configure the agent:

1. Select the 3-dot menu iconto select Configure Agent.
   This opens the configuration page for you. 
   On this page, one side is for configuring the AI agent, while the other side lets you test interaction with the agent.
   
   Note: To edit a discussion you’ve created, select Modify Settings from the three-dot menuwithin the discussion. Select Update to save your changes, then you can proceed to Step 2.
    
2. Next, in Helpfulness, select Minimal, Moderate, or Extreme from the drop-down list. This determines the level of support the AI offers to students throughout the discussion.
    
3. Next, in Language, select the desired language from the drop-down list. This determines the language the AI will use when interacting with students during the discussion.
    
4. Then, toggle Use learner’s differentiation profile to provide agent context to ON (optional). This allows the AI to use each student’s differentiation profile to tailor its responses and support.
    
5. Then you can start providing context for the agent, by completing the scenario-specific fields, you can control how the agent will interact with your students. There are 3 types of fields that may be present in this area. A scenario may use 1, 2, or all 3 types across a range of fields to best configure the agent. The 3 field types are:
   1. Text Area: This will require you to add text to the field.
   2. Switch: You will have a binary choice to instruct the agent to behave one way or another.
   3. Drop-down: This will allow the selection of a specific characteristic for the agent from a list of pre-defined options.
       
6. In Opening Message, enter the text that the AI will display to students when the discussion begins. This sets the tone and provides initial instructions or prompts for the activity.
    
7. Next, in Rules, define the guidelines or constraints the AI should follow during the discussion. This ensures the AI provides responses that align with your classroom expectations and learning objectives.
    
8. When done, select Save.
   This creates and configures the agent for the AI-guided student discussions.

Your AI-guided discussion is now active and available for your students to begin participating.

Once your AI-guided discussion is active and students begin participating, you can, as a school staff, easily monitor their progress, review their responses, and manage submissions directly from the discussion activity page.

To manage student discussions and submissions:

1. Go to your class page where you created the discussion for the students.
    
2. Next, on the discussion activity, select the 3-dot menu icon. A list of options will appear.
    
3. You can select:
   • View status - to see the discussion status for each student.
   • Student Participation - to view each student's involvement and progress in the discussion. See Customise a Learning Activity.
   • Modify Settings - to adjust the preferences for the discussion.
   • Configure Agent - to configure and customise the agent's settings and behavior. See Create Agent for the AI-guided discussion.
   • Delete - to remove the discussion.
   • Save to Course - to add the discussion or changes to the course.

Let’s see what students can do when they access the AI discussion activity, including how to interact with it effectively and how to request help when needed:

• How does a student begin the discussion?
• How does a student request help?

How does a student begin the discussion?

A student can choose one of these options on their class page, depending on the status of the discussion:

• Begin Discussion - to start the new discussion that the school staff has posted for the class.
• Resume Discussion - if the student started the discussion but hasn’t reached the submission date yet, or hasn’t submitted it yet.
• View Discussion - if the discussion is already closed.

Note: Parents who view this page won't have the option to start, resume, or view the student's discussion.
 

How does a student request help?

While participating in the discussion, students can select from the following options:

• Request Teacher Help - Updates the discussion status to ‘Assistance Requested’ on the status page, but does not notify the school staff.
  Note: Students can still select Submit even after selecting Request Teacher Help.
• Help No Longer Needed - Updates the status to show that the student no longer needs assistance.
  Note: Students can still select Submit even after selecting Help No Longer Needed.
• Submit - Finalises and turns in the student's discussion, and notifies the school staff. 
  Note: This option is only visible to students.
• Submit on behalf of - Allows the school staff to submit the discussion for the student when assistance has been requested.
  Note: This option is not visible to students.

When a student has requested assistance or submitted the discussion, the school staff can:

• View submissions
• Resolve an assistance request
• Submit on Behalf of the student
• Reset a discussion activity
• Reopen a discussion activity

View submissions

As school staff, you can access submitted student discussions for the class through the ‘Course Markbook’ at the course level. You can select the discussion in the Course Markbook and choose View from the drop-down menu to see the following:

Note: From the Discussion entry in the Course Markbook, you can also select ‘View’, ‘View Status’, ‘Modify Settings’, or ‘Configure Agent’ to perform these actions at the course level. Any changes you make will apply across all the classes you teach for this course. 

• List of students - For each student, you can choose from the available options in the 3-dot menu iconfor each student. The actions you see depend on the student’s discussion status. 
  For example, you will be able to select:
  • View Discussion - when the status for a student discussion is ‘In Progress’, ‘Requires Assistance’, and ‘Submitted’.
  • Submit on Behalf of Student and Reset Discussion - when the status for a student discussion is ‘In Progress’, and ‘Requires Assistance’.
  • Reopen Discussion - when the status for a student discussion is ‘Submitted’.
  • Mark as Assisted - when the status for a student discussion is ‘Requires Assistance’. 
    Note: When you hover over a student’s status, the timestamp of the action is displayed.
• ‘Status’ of the discussion:
  • - Submitted
  • - Requires Assistance
  • - In Progress
  • - Incomplete or Not Attempted
    Note: When you hover over a student’s status, the timestamp of the action is displayed.
• In the adjacent columns, you’ll see the criteria columns with feedback for each student, based on the scenario type selected by your school. 
  For example, columns such as:
  • Evidence of Understanding
  • Awareness of Strengths
  • Identification of Challenges
  • Goals and Next Steps
  • Attitude and Engagement 
    
    Notes:
    You can:
    1. Select the following options in the Status page to filter the columns further:
       1. Incomplete
       2. In Progress
       3. Requires Assistance
       4. Submitted

    2. Use the ‘Search for a student’ field to find a student from the list.

        

Resolve an assistance request

When students participate in AI-guided discussions, they may sometimes request help if they’re unsure how to continue, need clarification, encounter difficulty meeting the activity requirements, or have issues with the AI not responding as expected. As a school staff, you can review and resolve these assistance requests directly from the discussion status page.

Students can request help from you when they:

• Don’t understand the prompt or instructions
• AI not delivering the expected results
• Need guidance on how to improve their response
• Aren’t sure how to engage with their peers
• Want clarification on the feedback you’ve given 

When a student submits a help request using ‘Request Teacher Help’, it will appear on your discussion status page view as 'Assistance requested' so you can take the necessary action.

To resolve an assistance request:

1. Go to the class page containing the AI-guided discussion.
   This opens the class page for you.
    
2. Then, go to the Discussions component on your class homepage and select the 3-dot menu iconto select View Status.
   This opens the Discussion’s status page for you.
    
3. In the Status column, you can see which student has requested your help to assist them.
    
4. After you’ve assisted the student, go to their name on the Status page. Then select the three-dot menu iconnext to the 'Assistance requested' icon.
    
5. Select Resolve Assistance Request.
   This resolves the assistance request and returns the discussion to ‘In Progress’ so the student can continue working on it.

Submit on Behalf of the student

The ‘Submit on Behalf of the Student’ option allows school staff to move a student’s AI-guided discussion forward when the student is unable to submit their own response. 

This helps keep the activity on track and ensures the discussion continues without delays. You can, as a school staff, use this feature when you need to enter a response for the student and advance the conversation to the next step in the guided flow.

To submit on behalf of the student:

1. Go to the class page containing the AI-guided discussion.
   This opens the class page for you.
    
2. Then, go to the Discussions component on your class homepage and select the 3-dot menu iconto select View Status.
   This opens the Discussion’s status page for you.
    
3. In the Status column, you can see which student’s discussion is ‘In Progress’. 
   Note: The student must interact with the AI at least once before the discussion can move to ‘In Progress’ status.
    
4. Go to the student’s name and select the 3-dot menu iconto select Submit on Behalf of student name.
    

5. Select Proceed.
   This submits the discussion for the student.
   
   You’ve now submitted the discussion on behalf of the student. 
   
   Once submitted, the status changes to ‘Submitted’.

    

Reset a discussion activity

The Reset Discussion option lets school staff restart a student’s AI-guided discussion from the beginning. This is helpful if the student selected an incorrect topic, misunderstood the prompt, or the conversation went off track. Resetting clears the existing conversation and returns the activity to its initial state so the student can start fresh.

Note: You can only reset a discussion that is currently in the ‘In Progress’ state.

To reset a discussion activity:

1. Go to the class page containing the AI-guided discussion.
   This opens the class page for you.
    
2. Then, go to the Discussions component on your class homepage and select the 3-dot menu iconto select View Status.
   This opens the Discussion’s status page for you.
    
3. In the Status column, you can see which student’s discussion is ‘In Progress’. 
   Note: The student must interact with the AI at least once before the discussion can move to ‘In Progress’ status.
    
4. Go to the student’s name and select the 3-dot menu iconto select Reset Discussion.
    
5. Select Proceed.
   This resets the student's discussion.
   
   The status for this student will now appear as ‘Incomplete’ .
    
6. Select Discussion History from the student’s 3-dot menu iconto select and resume any previous discussion. 
   Note: The Discussion History displays a list of student submissions, allowing you to review their contributions over time. It helps you track participation, feedback, and any changes or resets made to the old discussions.
    

7. Select Resume discussion to start the discussion from the beginning as a new attempt.
   You’ve now reset the discussion, allowing the student to start a new attempt.

    

Reopen a discussion activity 

The Reopen Discussion option allows school staff to unlock a submitted discussion so the student can continue working on it. This is useful when a student needs to revise their responses, complete additional steps, or address feedback in the current attempt. 

Reopening the discussion moves it out of the Submitted state and gives the student access to resume the activity.

To reopen a discussion activity:

1. Go to the class page containing the AI-guided discussion.
   This opens the class page for you.
    
2. Then, go to the Discussions component on your class homepage and select the 3-dot menu iconto select View Status.
   This opens the Discussion’s status page for you.
    
3. In the Status column, you can see which student’s discussion is ‘Submitted’ .
    
4. Go to the student’s name and select the 3-dot menu iconto select Reopen Discussion.
    
5. Select Proceed.
   This reopens the discussion for the student.
   
   The discussion returns to ‘In Progress’ state, allowing the student to continue from where they left off. 

Scenarios shape how the AI guides classroom discussions. When you, as a school staff, select a scenario, you’re choosing a teaching style or conversation flow that matches your learning goal. Each scenario sets the tone for the prompts, questions, and interactions students experience, depending on whether you want them to brainstorm, reflect, analyse, or explore ideas.

Once you select a scenario, the AI uses it as a framework to lead the discussion. Depending on your choice, the AI can:

• Encourage critical thinking
• Spark creative idea generation
• Guide students in personal reflection
• Ask open-ended, thought-provoking questions
• Support group collaboration

By matching the scenario to your objective, you give students the right kind of support at the right time.

Let’s understand each available scenario: