AI-Guided Student Discussions

AI-guided Student Discussions help staff create structured, interactive discussions where students engage with an AI agent as part of a learning activity.

These discussions can be used to introduce a topic, support inquiry, encourage reflection, or guide students through deeper thinking.

Once available for your school, AI-guided Student Discussions can be added to class pages as a Discussions learning activity.

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

Why use AI-guided student discussions?

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Use AI-guided Student Discussions when you want students to actively think, respond, and engage with ideas in a more interactive way.

They can help staff:

  • create more engaging learning activities
  • support critical thinking and inquiry
  • guide reflection and self-expression
  • encourage students to explore ideas more deeply
  • provide structured support during classroom discussions

AI-guided Student Discussions are designed to support learning, while still leaving staff in control of the activity setup, rules, timing, and student support.

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What AI-guided student discussions can do?

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AI-guided Student Discussions support three key parts of the activity: creating the discussion, guiding student interaction, and supporting student progress.

Create a structured discussion

Add a Discussions component to a class page and define how the activity runs.

  • title and description
  • work type
  • curriculum codes
  • allowed time
  • publish, open, and close dates
  • scenario selection

Guide interaction with an AI agent

Configure how the AI interacts with students during the discussion.

  • helpfulness level
  • language
  • use of differentiation profiles
  • opening message
  • rules for responses
  • scenario-specific settings

Support student progress

Students interact with the activity while staff monitor and support as needed.

  • begin or resume a discussion
  • request teacher help
  • indicate help is no longer needed
  • submit their discussion

Staff can review progress, respond to assistance requests, and manage submissions.

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How to setup AI-guided student discussions

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AI-guided Student Discussions are created from a class page using the Discussions learning component.

In most cases, the process is:

  1. Go to a class page
  2. Add the Discussions component
  3. Create the discussion activity
  4. Configure the AI agent
  5. Make the activity available to students

 

Create the discussion

  1. Open your class page.
  2. Select the + icon.
  3. Open the Learning tab.
  4. Drag the Discussions component to the desired location on the page.
  5. Select Create a discussion.
  6. Enter the discussion details, such as title, work type, description, timing, and dates.
  7. Choose the scenario that best matches your learning goal.
  8. Select Create.

 

Configure the AI agent

  1. Open the discussion’s 3-dot menu.
  2. Select Configure Agent.
  3. Choose the helpfulness level and language.
  4. Complete any scenario-specific fields.
  5. Add an opening message and any rules the agent should follow.
  6. Select Save.

Once saved, the AI-guided Discussion is ready for students to begin when it becomes available.

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Manage AI-guided student discussions

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Once an AI-guided Student Discussion has been created, staff can manage it from the discussion menu.

To access the available options:

  1. Go to the class page where the discussion was created.
  2. On the discussion activity, select the 3-dot menu icon 3-dot Menu Icon.

From here, you can select:

  • View Status - see the discussion status for each student
  • Student Participation - view each student’s activity and progress. See Customise a Learning Activity
  • Modify Settings - update the discussion settings
  • Configure Agent - adjust the AI agent settings and behaviour
  • Delete - remove the discussion
  • Save to Course - save the discussion or changes to the course
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Student participation and help requests

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Students can begin, continue, and complete AI-guided Student Discussions from their class page.

During the activity, they can also request teacher support if needed.

How students begin or continue a discussion

Depending on the status of the activity, students may see one of the following options:

  • Begin Discussion - start a new discussion
  • Resume Discussion - continue a discussion that is still in progress
  • View Discussion - open a discussion that has already been closed

Note: Parents who view the page will not have the option to begin, resume, or view the student’s discussion.

How students request support

While participating in a discussion, students can choose from the following actions:

  • Request Teacher Help - updates the student’s status to Requires Assistance
  • Help No Longer Needed - updates the status when support is no longer required
  • Submit - finalises and submits the discussion

Note: Selecting Request Teacher Help updates the status page, but does not notify staff directly.

Note: Students can still submit after selecting Request Teacher Help or Help No Longer Needed.

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Review submissions and progress

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Once students begin participating, staff can review progress from the discussion status page and the Course Markbook.

 

View submissions and progress

Staff can review submitted discussions from the Course Markbook at the course level.

From the discussion entry, select View to review student responses.

You can also select:

  • View Status
  • Modify Settings
  • Configure Agent

Any changes made at course level apply across all classes for that course.

On the status page, you can:

  • see each student’s discussion status
  • open the student’s 3-dot menu to access actions
  • review criteria columns and feedback
  • filter by status such as Incomplete, In Progress, Requires Assistance, or Submitted
  • search for a student by name

Available statuses include:

  • image.php?hash=1ff18ae8f8e6fef83557bdf639e3b321d812c747 Submitted
  • image.php?hash=c31736b4cb888243f7b74ac0ab94c3ad80c53a50 Requires Assistance
  • image.php?hash=1f9dd7cf667199058ba5030b7b849a5d71707e6f In Progress
  • image.php?hash=f1beb2be9969a8436607650732dfb88c1cd40364 Incomplete or Not Attempted

Note: Hover over a student’s status to view the timestamp of the action.

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Manage submission actions

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Staff can take action on individual discussions from the student’s 3-dot menu on the View Status page.

Resolve an assistance request

If a student selects Request Teacher Help, their status changes to Requires Assistance.

  1. Open the View Status page
  2. Find the student with Requires Assistance
  3. Open the student’s 3-dot menu
  4. Select Resolve Assistance Request

This returns the discussion to In Progress.

 

Submit on behalf of a student

Submit a discussion when a student is unable to complete it themselves.

  1. Open the View Status page
  2. Find the student with In Progress
  3. Open the student’s 3-dot menu
  4. Select Submit on Behalf
  5. Select Proceed

The status changes to Submitted.

Note: The student must interact with the AI at least once before the discussion moves to In Progress.

Reset a discussion

Reset a discussion if a student needs to start again.

  1. Open the View Status page
  2. Find the student with In Progress
  3. Open the student’s 3-dot menu
  4. Select Reset Discussion
  5. Select Proceed

The status changes to Incomplete.

You can also open Discussion History to review previous attempts.

Note: You can only reset a discussion that is currently In Progress.

 

Reopen a discussion

Reopen a submitted discussion so the student can continue working.

  1. Open the View Status page
  2. Find the student with Submitted
  3. Open the student’s 3-dot menu
  4. Select Reopen Discussion
  5. Select Proceed

The discussion returns to In Progress.

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AI Services Navigation

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How scenarios work

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Scenarios shape how the AI guides the discussion.

When you choose a scenario, you are choosing the style of interaction the AI will use with students. This helps match the discussion to your learning objective.

Depending on the scenario selected, the AI may:

  • ask reflective questions
  • guide students through reasoning
  • encourage idea generation
  • support perspective-taking
  • prompt students to explain and extend their thinking
ScenarioHow it works
Character InterviewStudents interact with the AI as though it were a historical figure, literary character, scientist, or other persona. This helps students explore perspective, context, and inquiry through role-based interaction.
Self-ReflectionThe AI prompts students to reflect on their learning, experiences, strengths, challenges, or goals. This scenario is useful for reflection, metacognition, and personal insight.
Socratic TutorThe AI uses open-ended questioning to guide students toward their own understanding rather than providing direct answers. This supports reasoning, inquiry, and critical thinking.
Project IdeationThe AI encourages students to generate ideas, consider alternatives, and explore possibilities. This is useful for brainstorming, problem-solving, and creative or design-based activities.
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