Intentional Teaching, a show about teaching in higher education Student-Designed AI Chatbots with Windy Frank and Sarah Gibson
Feb 10, 2026
Sarah Gibson, a communication professor and AI faculty fellow guiding campus AI policy, and Windy Frank, an adjunct who creates AI-infused Bible course assignments, discuss student-designed Old Testament chatbots. They explain how students research, build personalities, test bots, handle objections, and how the university scaled campuswide AI tools. Conversations cover tools, ethics, accommodations, and plans to run the assignment again.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Have Students Vet Sources Before Feeding Bots
- Require students to research primary and vetted secondary sources before feeding a bot's knowledge base.
- Use tools like Perplexity so students can trace sources and evaluate reliability during bot construction.
AI As A Learning Deepener, Not A Shortcut
- Sarah argues AI can deepen learning rather than shortcut it when used intentionally.
- She expects students to retain stories more strongly after designing and critiquing character bots.
Use Live Demos To Reveal Bot Limits
- Include a public presentation where students explain research, prompt design, and test their bot live.
- Let classmates ask the bot unscripted questions to reveal strengths and weaknesses in the design.
