AICET and CTLT Conduct Workshop for Faculty to Design Simulation Chatbots

Ms Karina Yuen, EdTech Development Specialist at AICET, together with Dr Verily Tan, Senior Education Specialist at CTLT, conducted a workshop in Dewey Room for 25 faculty across disciplines at the National University of Singapore on 2 December 2025. The workshop focused on providing hands-on practice for faculty in designing and testing simulation chatbots, with the intent of allowing end-users benefit from practicing skills in realistic contexts before applying them in high-stakes situations.

This hands-on workshop systematically introduced various aspects of designing simulation chatbots on AICET’s ScholAIstic platform, starting from basic and simple prompts, before moving to more complex strategies in prompt engineering, such as introducing guardrails, and stages of conversation. Participants experimented extensively with the carefully scaffolded scenarios, and were guided and encouraged to curate their own.

The session introduced participants to AICET’s pedagogy-driven approach to designing AI-powered learning experiences, highlighting the central principle that the value of AI in education lies not in technological novelty, but in the pedagogical purpose it serves. The workshop participants experienced how repeated practice builds competence and confidence, and how ScholAIstic can provide this opportunity to every student at scale in a safe environment.

Karina also shared how effective educational simulations require intentional design. Instructors must create appropriate challenge, not simply respond helpfully. The participants left with a design methodology for creating pedagogically sound simulation chatbots and resources for continued experimentation. They learnt prompt engineering techniques, testing techniques with different student personas, and implemented automated evaluation for scalable feedback.

AICET and CTLT co-conducting of this workshop reflects the shared commitment towards uplifting understanding of chatbot design as well as techniques to effectively harness AI technology in the university.